The City of Crookston is committed to providing safe and reliable drinking water to its residents. As part of regular monitoring, the city recently completed lead and copper testing between June and September 2025.
Of the 20 samples collected from homes across the community, three exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) for lead. The City’s overall 90th percentile result was measured at 17 ppb.
While most samples met federal standards, the 3 exceedance results indicate that additional steps are needed to reduce lead exposure in some households. The presence of lead is typically related to older household plumbing materials rather than the water source itself.
The City of Crookston is working closely with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to determine appropriate next steps, which may include expanded testing, increased public education, and recommendations for minimizing exposure.
Residents can reduce potential lead exposure by:
- Running cold water for 30–60 seconds before use, especially for drinking or cooking.
- Using only cold water for preparing food and baby formula.
- Considering the use of a certified water filter that removes lead.
MORE INFORMATION IS BELOW-
The City of Crookston found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes/buildings. The City of Crookston may also have tested your home or building. If they did, you should receive or may have already received these results. These results are specific to your home/building and may differ from those in other locations.
Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Please read this information closely to see what you can do to reduce lead in your drinking water.
What is an Action Level?
The lead action level is a measure of the effectiveness of the corrosion control treatment in water systems. The action level is not a standard for establishing a safe level of lead in a home. To check if corrosion control is working, EPA requires water systems to test for lead at the tap in certain homes, including those with lead service lines. Systems compare sample results from homes to EPA’s action level of 0.015 mg/L (15 ppb). If 10 percent of the samples from these homes have water concentrations that are greater than the action level, then the system must perform actions such as public education, adjusting treatment, and lead service line replacement.
What Happened?
Between June and September 2025, the City of Crookston collected 20 samples for lead and copper in accordance with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). Three (3) of the 20 results exceeded the action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) for lead. The calculated 90th percentile lead result for Crookston was 17 ppb, which is above the federal action level. Because of this action level exceedance, Crookston is required to notify the public within 24 hours.
The City of Crookston is focused on protecting the health of every household in our community; however, lead from service lines and lead plumbing and fixtures can dissolve or break off into water and end up at the faucet. Lead service lines connecting some homes built prior to the mid 1950s, older household plumbing and solder installed before 1986 that may contain lead, brass fixtures or faucets, which can contain small amounts of lead, are potential sources of lead in your drinking water.
This does not mean that every property that receives drinking water from the City of Crookston has lead in the drinking water. It does mean that you should understand how to reduce your exposure to lead through water. Keep in mind that drinking water is not the only potential source of lead exposure, since lead can be found in air, soil, and paint. For more information on all sources of lead, visit EPA Lead (https://www.epa.gov/lead).
Health Effects of Lead
There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups, especially pregnant people, infants (both formula-fed and breastfed), and young children. Some of the health effects to infants and children include decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can also result in new or worsened learning and behavior problems. The children of persons who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy may be at increased risk of these harmful health effects. Adults have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or nervous system problems. Contact your health care provider for more information about your risks.
Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Exposure to Lead in Your Water
Below are recommended actions that you may take, separately or in combination, if you are concerned about lead in your drinking water. The list also includes where you may find more information and is not intended to be a complete list or to imply that all actions equally reduce lead from drinking water.
Purchase and use a certified lead filter to reduce lead from their drinking water, especially households with a child, pregnant woman, or individual with high blood pressure, or people residing in houses built before 1986. We also recommend making baby formula or cooking with filtered water.
Look for filters that are tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead reduction and NSF/ANSI Standard 42 for particulate reduction (Class I). Some filter options include a pour-through pitcher or faucet-mount systems. If the label does not specifically mention lead reduction, check the Performance Data Sheet included with the device. Be sure to maintain and replace the filter device in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to protect water quality.
Let the water run. The more time water has been sitting in your home’s pipes, the more lead it may contain. Before drinking, flush your home’s pipes by running the tap, taking a shower, doing laundry, or doing a load of dishes. The amount of time to run the water will depend on whether your home has a lead service line or not, as well as the length and diameter of the service line and the amount of plumbing in your home. Homes with lead service lines may need to run water for three to five minutes, or until the water is cold, to fully flush the line. Homes without lead service lines but with older plumbing or fixtures (typically installed before 1986) should run water for about 30 to 60 seconds. Flushing can also be accomplished by taking a shower, doing laundry, or running the dishwasher. To reduce waste, consider collecting the flushed water in a clean container for use on plants or for cleaning.
Use cold water. Do not use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Boiling water does not remove lead from water. Clean your aerator. Regularly remove and clean your faucet’s screen (also known as an aerator). Sediment, debris, and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator, lead can get into your water.
Learn what your service line material is. Contact us at 218.281.1232 and/or serviceline@crookston.mn.us or a licensed plumber to determine if the pipe that connects your home to the water main (called a service line) is made from lead, galvanized, or other materials. To find out about what we are doing to replace lead service lines, please visit www.crookston.mn.us or contact us at 218.281.1232 and/or serviceline@crookston.mn.us. Protect Your Tap: A quick check for lead is EPA’s on-line step by step guide to learn how to find lead pipes in your home. You can also use the MDH Lead Inventory Tracking Tool (https://maps.umn.edu/LSL/)to see if your service line has been documented.
Learn about construction in your neighborhood. Contact us at 218.281.1232 and/or serviceline@crookston.mn.us to find out about any construction or maintenance work that could disturb your service line. Construction may cause more lead to be released from a lead service line if present.
Have your water tested. Contact us at 218.281.1232 and/or serviceline@crookston.mn.us to have your water tested and to learn more about the lead levels in your drinking water. Contact a Minnesota Department of Health accredited laboratory(https://eldo.web.health.state.mn.us/public/accreditedlabs/labsearch.seam) to purchase a sample container and instructions on how to submit a sample. You can also contact your county or water utility to see if they have any programs to make testing your water easier.
Treat your water or find an alternative source if a test shows your water has high levels of lead after you let the water run. You can learn more about water treatment options at Home Water Treatment (https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/factsheet/hometreatment.html).
What is Being Done?
The City of Crookston is committed to protecting public health and ensuring safe drinking water for all residents. The actions that we are taking are listed below: In addition to the information mentioned above that we will provide residents at locations we sampled, we will also be following up with additional public education for all our customers by November 28, 2025 (within 60 days of the end of the monitoring period).
The City of Crookston does not currently use corrosion control treatment. We are working with the Minnesota Department of Health to evaluate which corrosion control treatment strategy would be most effective for our water system. This evaluation is underway and will continue into the next monitoring cycle, at which time MDH and the City will determine and implement the appropriate treatment method.
The City of Crookston is actively working to identify and replace lead service lines, which are a common source of lead in drinking water. At this time, we do not have a complete inventory of all service line materials in the community. We are developing this inventory in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Health and will replace lead service lines as they are identified. As part of this process, the City has sent requests to residents under the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) to provide information about the materials in their homes, and we are still waiting on many responses. The information residents provide will help us build a more accurate inventory and prioritize future replacements. Because of this, lead service line replacement is an ongoing process rather than a project with a set completion date. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
They plan to take the following steps:
•We are conducting additional lead and/or water quality monitoring of our water system supply.
•We are increasing our lead monitoring to determine the extent of the situation.
Understand Blood Lead Testing
In Minnesota, elevated blood lead levels are most associated with lead exposure from lead paint and dust. Water is rarely the cause of elevated blood lead levels. If you have concerns about childhood lead exposure check with your family doctor, pediatrician, or health care provider to determine if a blood test for lead is recommended. State, city, or county departments of health can also provide information about how you can have your child’s blood tested for lead or more information about health effects of lead. Routine blood lead tests are covered by insurance and medical assistance programs as a preventative health care service. Contact your child’s primary health care provider to request a blood lead test. If your child does not have a primary health care provider or health insurance, there are several resources available. Visit Lead Information for Families – MN Dept. of Health https://www.health.mn.gov/communities/environment/lead/families.html for more information.
For more information, please contact Charles Getsman at 218.281.1232 and/or serviceline@crookston.mn.us or 124 North Broadway, Crookston, MN 56716. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk from lead in drinking water are available from EPA’s website Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water https://www.epa.gov/ground-waterand-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.