Lake Elmo city officials are warning residents of a potential watering ban next summer if they don't find a fix to reduce pressure on the city's two remaining uncontaminated wells.
"We were lucky to sneak by this summer, but given some of the issues we saw, we expect that it will be worse next year," said City Administrator Kristina Handt.
Long-term solutions for Lake Elmo and other east metro area communities with groundwater contaminated by perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, still may be years off. In the meantime, the priority for the state is short-term fixes, said Kirk Koudelka, assistant commissioner at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
More permanent solutions — which would be funded by the $850 million court settlement reached in February between Minnesota and 3M Co. over contaminated groundwater — aren't likely to launch before 2020, Koudelka said.
PFCs were developed and manufactured by Maplewood-based 3M, which dumped factory waste into Washington County landfills. Research shows that exposure to the chemicals in drinking water has been linked to certain types of cancers, liver and thyroid issues and human developmental problems.
Handt said many Lake Elmo residents assumed the settlement had already resolved the city's water quality concerns. The city has filed its own litigation in federal court against 3M, with a trial date set for September 2019.
"Folks just expected that money has been flowing into the city and that's not the case," Handt said. "We want to get the word out that it's not all done and over with, and we are still experiencing challenges."
An ongoing feasibility study will determine whether a watering ban in Lake Elmo will be enough or if the city needs a new well or water treatment system. By the time the city completes that state-requested study, however, Handt worries winter weather will cause further delay on any surveying or construction.
