City of Albany issued the following announcement on Oct.1.
The MN Department of Health (MDH) ensures that public water systems meet the requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). In 1992, Minnesota Legislature authorized MDH to assess a fee to community water systems to help cover costs of testing for water contaminants.
Over time, the number of tested contaminants increased to 118. They now include microbes, lead, pesticides, industrial chemicals, heavy metals, and radionuclides. To account for these additions, the fee per service connection was increased to $6.36 in 2005.
Between 2005 and 2019, costs increased 28% due to inflation alone. We also face added costs from addressing new threats to drinking water, like pharmaceuticals and harmful algal blooms.
To address these additional costs, the Minnesota Legislature increased the fee to $9.72 in 2019. This increase will go into effect January 1, 2020 (Minnesota Statutes 2019, Chapter 144, 144.3831). The amount on a customer’s water bill for “MN Test Fee” will be $.81 per month.
MN Dept. of Health Information
Original source can be found here.
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