Hibbing Public Utilities notifies residents after lead action-level exceedance; MDH, utility outline testing and replacement steps

Hibbing Public Utilities told the public on Oct. 28 that compliance sampling taken between June and September produced a lead action-level exceedance under the federal lead-and-copper rule. Minnesota Department of Health compliance engineer Hannah Mendez said Hibbing collected 29 required lead samples and that six of those samples were above the action level, causing the system's 90th percentile to exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's action level of 15 parts per billion.

"It does not mean that every tap in the community that is used for drinking water has elevated levels of lead, but it does mean that the system has to let the residents know that they are investigating the cause of the elevated lead levels and are taking actions as necessary to evaluate the lead levels," Mendez told the commission and the public during a special presentation at the Oct. 28 meeting.

MDH and Hibbing staff outlined immediate and near-term steps required by law and agency guidance. MDH notified…