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Lacrescent - Spring Grove, MN

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Serves 5,072 people - Test data available: 2004-2008

This drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) by the Minnesota Department of Health- Environmental Health Division. It is part of EWG's national database that includes 47,667 drinking water utilities and 20 million test results. Water utilities nationwide detected more than 300 pollutants between 2004 and 2009. More than half of these chemicals are unregulated, legal in any amount. Despite this widespread contamination, the federal government invests few resources to protecting rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater from pollution in the first place. The information below summarizes test results for this utility and lists potential health concerns.

	This Drinking Water System	National Average
Exceed Health GuidelinesTests showing chemicals at concentrations above health guidelines established by federal and state health agencies. These guidelines are typically set at a levels that pose no significant health risk.	4 chemicals	4
Health Standard ExceedencesChemicals detected at concentrations above the legal limit, the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCLs) established by the U.S. EPA. Most MCLs are based on annual averages, so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.	1 chemicals	0.5
Pollutants FoundThe total number of contaminants detected since 2004, according to data provided by the state water agency.	11 chemicals	8
Tests ConductedThe total number of number of water quality tests conducted by water utilities and recorded in data provided by the state water agency.	302 tests	420

Contaminants Exceeding Health Guidelines

Contaminant	Average/ Maximum Result	Health Limit Exceeded	Legal Limit Exceeded	Testing History -Tested      -Detected      -Over Health Guidelines      -Over Legal Limit*
Alpha particle activityAlpha particles are a form of radiation released from mining waste pollutants and natural sources.	16.95 pCi/L 35.67 pCi/L	Yes MCLGA non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.: 0 pCi/L	Yes 15 pCi/L
BromodichloromethaneBromodichloromethane is a disinfection byproduct from the trihalomethane (THM) family, and is formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.	1.2 ppb 3 ppb	Yes MCLGA non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.: 0 ppb	No 80 ppb
DibromochloromethaneDibromochloromethane is a disinfection byproduct from the trihalomethane (THM) family, and is formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.	0.66 ppb 1.5 ppb	Yes 0.4 ppb	No 80 ppb
BromoformBromoform is a disinfection byproduct from the trihalomethane (THM) family, and is formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.	0.1 ppb 0.5 ppb	Yes MCLGA non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.: 0 ppb	No 80 ppb
NOTE: Each dot in the above graph represents one month. * Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.

Other Detected Contaminants

Contaminant	Average/ Maximum Result	Health Limit Exceeded	Legal Limit Exceeded	Testing History -Tested      -Detected      -Over Health Guidelines      -Over Legal Limit*
Combined Uranium (pCi/L)Uranium is a radioactive element commonly found in most rocks; processed ore is used for power generation and weapons manufacture.	0.32 pCi/L 1.13 pCi/L	No	No 15 pCi/L
ChloroformChloroform is a disinfection byproduct from the trihalomethane (THM) family, and is formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.	1.1 ppb 2.7 ppb	No 5.7 ppb	No 80 ppb
Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)Total trihalomethanes constitute the sum of four disinfection byproducts: chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform.	3.06 ppb 7.7 ppb	No 9.8 ppb	No 80 ppb
Monochloroacetic acidMonochloroacetic acid is a disinfection byproduct regulated by EPA as one of five haloacetic acids that are formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.	0.17 ppb 0.5 ppb	No 70 ppb	No 60 ppb
Trichloroacetic acidTrichloroacetic acid is a disinfection byproduct regulated by EPA as one of five haloacetic acids that are formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.	0.17 ppb 0.5 ppb	No 20 ppb	No 60 ppb
Dibromoacetic acidDibromoacetic acid is a disinfection byproduct regulated by EPA as one of five haloacetic acids that are formed when chlorine, chloramines or other disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in water.	0.17 ppb 0.5 ppb	No	No 60 ppb
Barium (total)Barium is a mineral that enters drinking water through drilling and mining waste runoff, discharges from chemical industries and erosion of natural deposits.	70.1 ppb 70.1 ppb	No 700 ppb	No 2000 ppb
NOTE: Each dot in the above graph represents one month. * Water utilities are noted as exceeding the legal limit if any test is above the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most MCLs are based on annual averages so exceeding the MCL for one test does not necessarily indicate that the system is out of compliance.

Contaminants Not Detected - 76 chemicals

1,1,1,2-Tetrachloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, 1,1-Dichloropropene, 1,2 Dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), 1,2,3-Trichlorobenzene, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,2-Dichloropropane, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3-Dichloropropane, 2,2-Dichloropropane, Acetone, Allyl Chloride (3-chloro-1-propene), Antimony (total), Arsenic (total), Benzene, Beryllium (total), Bromobenzene, Bromochloroacetic acid, Bromochloromethane, Bromomethane, Cadmium (total), Carbon tetrachloride, Chloroethane, Chloromethane, Chromium (total), cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, cis-1,3-Dichloropropene, Dibromomethane, Dichloroacetic acid, Dichlorodifluoromethane, Dichlorofluoromethane, Dichloromethane (methylene chloride), Ethyl ether, Ethylbenzene, Hexachlorobutadiene, Isopropylbenzene, m- & p- Xylene, m-Dichlorobenzene, Mercury (total inorganic), Methyl ethyl ketone, Methyl isobutyl ketone, Monobromoacetic acid, Monochlorobenzene (Chlorobenzene), Mtbe, n-Butylbenzene, n-Propylbenzene, Naphthalene, Nitrate, o-Chlorotoluene, o-Dichlorobenzene, o-Xylene, p-Chlorotoluene, p-Dichlorobenzene, p-Isopropyltoluene, sec-Butylbenzene, Selenium (total), Styrene, tert-Butylbenzene, Tetrachloroethylene, Tetrahydrofuran, Thallium (total), Toluene, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene, trans-1,3-Dichloropropene, Trichloroethylene, Trichlorofluoromethane, Trichlorotrifluoroethane, Vinyl chloride, Xylenes (total)

Pollution Summary

11	Total Contaminants Detected (2004 - 2008) Barium (total), Monochloroacetic acid, Trichloroacetic acid, Dibromoacetic acid, Chloroform, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Combined Uranium (pCi/L), Bromoform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, Alpha particle activity
0	Agricultural Pollutants (pesticides, fertilizer, factory farms)
0	Sprawl and Urban Pollutants (road runoff, lawn pesticides, human waste)
3	Industrial Pollutants Barium (total), Combined Uranium (pCi/L), Alpha particle activity
8	Water Treatment and Distribution Byproducts (pipes and fixtures, treatment chemicals and byproducts) Monochloroacetic acid, Trichloroacetic acid, Dibromoacetic acid, Chloroform, Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), Bromoform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane
3	Naturally Occurring (naturally present but increased for lands denuded by sprawl, agriculture, or industrial development) Barium (total), Combined Uranium (pCi/L), Alpha particle activity

EPA Violation Summary

No violations were reported for this system since 2004.

Information on violations is drawn directly from EPA's national violations database in the Agency's Safe Drinking Water Information System. Analyses by others have raised questions about the quality of the information in EPA's database. For the purposes of this investigation, EWG is not showing below or including in our analyses, those violations for individual water suppliers that occurred on days for which the total number of violations assigned by EPA to that water supplier was greater than 20. This criteria was based on common characteristics of incorrect violations data as identified by water utilities, from a review of EPA's violations data by several hundred utilities prior to the release of EWG's investigation.