EXCERPT: “A new report from the national nonprofit Environmental Working Group says the problem of nitrate contamination in drinking water is hitting small, rural communities like Randall the hardest — and they are the ones least able to afford treatment costs. Randall addressed the problem by digging a new well at the same location, but in a deeper aquifer. The new water source doesn’t have nitrate, but it does have naturally occurring minerals, such as iron and manganese. So the city had to build a new treatment plant to filter them out at a cost of $1.37 million. Nitrate contamination is a growing problem in parts of Minnesota. Drinking water with excessive levels of nitrate can cause health problems including a life-threatening disorder in infants known as blue baby syndrome. Contamination can come from different sources, but the biggest source is fertilizer and animal manure applied to farm fields.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2OyJEzB
