Fridley said March 27 that a contaminant had been found in the Mississippi River in coordination with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
According to the release, the city’s Public Works Department was notified at 11 a.m. March 26 by Minneapolis Water Works of a possible contaminant. Public works and public safety staff then verified that a storm sewer had discharged into the river upstream from Minneapolis Water Works.
Public safety coordinated with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and its contractor to deploy temporary floating barriers used to contain marine spills and protect water intakes, the release said. The North Metro Chemical Assessment Team was also called in to collect samples of the contaminant.
According to the release, public works traced the discharge through the storm sewer system to a Fridley business, where it was contained. Verification samples were taken at 2:45 p.m. and sent to the Minnesota Department of Health. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency then coordinated an overnight cleaning of the sewer system and removed any traces of the contaminant.
The release concluded by saying all drinking water in Fridley was safe to use.