Not a Drop to Drink
By Lorna Benson
May 8, 1997

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By the end of this week, residents in East Grand Forks, Minnesota may be able to drink their water straight from the tap. The city's more than 8,000 residents have been without drinkable water since flooding shut down their water treatment plant three weeks ago. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, city crews and an army of volunteers have been working around the clock to fix the problem and are now only days away from making life a little bit easier for everyone.

SFX: VEHICLE

SAINT PAUL WATER DEPARTMENT tester Mary Hiber drives through the unfamiliar streets of East Grand Forks looking for water hydrants. When she finds one, Hiber hops out of her small blue pickup truck, grabs a large wrench, and cranks the hydrant open.

SFX: WATER GUSHING

The water gushes out in a thick column, landing half way across the street. Hiber rinses two glass vials, then fills them with samples.

WHAT WE'RE CHECKING IS THE CHLORINE RESIDUAL IN THE WATER, COMING OUT OF THE FILTER PIPE. YOU WANTA SEE IF THERE'S ANY BACTERIA EATING UP THE CHLORINE.

So far, all the samples have been good, meaning the chlorine is doing its job by killing harmful flood bacteria.

City water workers have been flushing pipes with high doses of chlorine for days. Recently, they switched to a lower dose tolerable to humans. East Grand Forks Water Treatment Superintendent, Gary Hultberg, says it's the last stage before the water can be approved for human consumption.

YOU CAN SHOWER WITH IT. YOU CAN WASH WITH IT. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT WITH IT BUT DRINK IT.

Clearance to drink the water may come in the next few days, provided the Minnesota Department of Health continues to see good water-test results. Department laboratory analyst, Kathryn Mullen, is working in a portable health lab set up at the East Grand Forks Water Department. Mullen tests dozens of water samples each day to make sure there is no sign of coliform bacteria, usually a sign of untreated sewage in the water:

IT COULD BE PRESENT IN THE SURFACE WATER BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE FLOOD AND IT COULD HAVE ENTERED INTO THE DRINKING WATER. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE TESTING IT, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT PRESENT INSIDE THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

The effect of the water situation can be seen throughout the city of East Grand Forks. Restaurants that have re-opened are only serving bottled water and canned beverages. Some fast-food chains are handing out sanitary wipes, so customers can wash their potentially flood contaminated hands before eating. And portable toilets are scattered everywhere because the sewage system is not capable of handling water yet.

Water Plant Superintendent Gary Hultberg says the ordeal has made people realize what a luxury it is to have safe, available drinking water:

WE JUST TAKE FOR GRANTED WHEN YOU GO TO THAT FAUCET, THAT YOU TURN IT ON, AND IT'S GOOD. WE JUST TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. NOW, WE'RE SEEING THAT IT'S NOT FOR GRANTED. I MEAN YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL. IT'S DAY IN AND DAY OUT. I MEAN YOU HAVE TO BE ON IT ALL THE TIME. JUST BECAUSE THERE'S WATER AT THE TAP DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GONNA BE GOOD.

Until the Health Department lifts its restriction on drinking city water, East Grand Forks residents who want to use water from the tap must boil it first.

Return to Flood of 1997.