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Councilmember Kuzma stated that it appears that the City’s mix tested above the guided range and <br />asked if an alert needs to go out related to that. <br /> <br />Mr. Larson explained that it is an advisory but there would not need to be a warning that the water <br />should not be drank. <br /> <br />Utilities Supervisor Nelson replied that the mapping of the manganese testing is posted on the City <br />website and shared with the Department of Health. <br /> <br />Mr. Larson stated that another constituent that causes complaints is iron and reviewed the ranges <br />the City falls under. He noted that most cities that fall under the range Ramsey does would <br />consider removing the iron. He stated that the other issue would be hardness and reviewed the <br />range of Ramsey. He stated that residents have an option to have a home softener to resolve the <br />issue of hardness. He reviewed unregulated contaminates and how those items could be regulated <br />in the future, noting that most of those are manmade and would not be a concern for Ramsey. <br /> <br />Councilmember Menth referenced the scrapyard in Anoka, with close proximity to Ramsey, and <br />asked if the water flow from that area goes towards Ramsey. <br /> <br />Mr. Larson stated that would most likely flow to the river. He stated that the bigger concern for <br />Ramsey would be the landfill site but noted that there are typically barriers in place to prevent that <br />from entering the groundwater. He noted that his report has more details on groundwater and <br />sensitivity from surface pollution. He provided details on the current water demand, noting that is <br />an average throughout the year. <br /> <br />Utilities Supervisor Nelson provided the record high demand the City has seen on one given day. <br /> <br />Mr. Larson stated that information was used to develop the projection for 2040 and reviewed those <br />projections. He reviewed the additional infrastructure that would be needed for wells if a water <br />treatment plant were developed. He provided details on the aquafers that are available to the City <br />and the different requirements related to use of those aquafers. He stated that they think that there <br />is sufficient groundwater in Ramsey to install future wells, based on the modeling, and to supply <br />drinking water. <br /> <br />Councilmember Musgrove asked if this information places the City in a good position to request <br />additional wells. <br /> <br />Mr. Larson commented that he does not see why the DNR would not grant Ramsey additional <br />appropriations. He stated that by 2040 the City would need three additional wells to support the <br />projected capacity and reviewed potential locations for those wells. He confirmed that the <br />potential locations are not listed in a priority order and explained it would be a matter of <br />opportunity and convenience. He stated that one method to remove the iron and manganese would <br />be to treat the water, noting that most common treatment would be a sand filter. He stated that in <br />order to remove the hardness, softening would need to occur. He stated that they did not spend <br />much time on softening because of the cost. He stated that they did some pilot testing using a sand <br />filter and were able to remove the manganese and iron through that method. <br />City Council Work Session / July 21, 2020 <br />Page 3 of 5 <br /> <br />