Safe Drinking Water Act signed into law 50 years ago. How’s Minnesota’s water?
At the tap in a kitchen a drinking glass is filled with tap water. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB (Photo by Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Fifty years ago Monday, on Dec. 16, 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act was signed into law, marking the first time a national set of regulations and standards would be followed by all public water suppliers in the United States.
Which Minnesota agency enforces the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974?
Fifty years after the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed in the U.S., Minnesota is expanding testing of drinking water sources as concerns about led, nitrates, and PFAS persist.
The Backstory: The federal legislation created the first set of regulations and standards to be followed by all public water suppliers in the United States.
President Joe Biden lauded the success of the legislation in a press release Monday while also acknowledging new and ongoing threats, such as PFAS, to the country’s drinking water.
By the Numbers: The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) enforces the Safe Drinking Water Act in Minnesota. According to MDH:
- Eighty-percent of Minnesotans get their water from community water systems
- Another 1.1 million people get their water from private wells
Digging Deeper: Concerns about Minnesota’s drinking water have been growing for years because of contaminations of nitrates and PFAS.
In 2023, an advocacy group filed a petition under the Safe Drinking Water Act after learning that nitrates contaminated groundwater and private wells in southeast Minnesota. The EPA required Minnesota to coordinate a more urgent response after finding "there is an evident need for further actions to safeguard public health." In the east metro, more than 170-thousand homes are impacted by a growing PFAS plume.
PFAS are a class of forever chemicals that do not break down in the environment. They were manufactured and dumped by 3M for years as it sold products such as Scotchgard. The Minnesota-based company agreed to an $850-million settlement with the state in 2018 to help address the ongoing contamination. The litigation exposed company records and research about forever chemicals and led to other lawsuits across the world over contaminations. The FOX 9 Investigators recently obtained videos of 3M executives and scientists testifying under oath about when they first learned about the widespread contamination caused by its forever chemicals.
READ MORE: FOX 9's previous reporting on 3M and PFAS
What’s Next: Minnesota regulators have expanded testing and remediation programs in recent years to address PFAS and lead. A new law passed in 2024 requires daycare centers to test lead levels in drinking water sources. The health department expects to start publishing those results early next year. The department also plans to finalize a 10-year-action plan in January that will map out steps to ensure "a safe, equitable and reliable drinking water supply."