Safe drinking water fee approved
The 2025 Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill increasing the safe drinking water fee to help all public water systems get the support they need to provide safe drinking water everywhere in Minnesota. The fee is now set at $15.22 per water service connection per year.
DWP activities supported by the fee include inspections, technical assistance, required Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and other sample collection and analysis, training and other support to enhance water systems’ capacity to meet SDWA requirements. The fee increase accounts for the significant inflation that has occurred since the last increase in 2019, projected and potential deep reductions in federal funding, increased lab costs for drinking water testing, the need for drinking water data updates and improvements, and the numerous changes in SDWA, including new rules and enforcement requirements that have occurred and are being planned in the next few years.
The fee increase will go into effect Jan. 1, 2026.
Municipal community water systems collect the fee from consumers and may divide this fee into monthly or quarterly installments.
MDH recognizes that $15.22 is not divisible by 12 equal monthly payments or four equal quarterly payments. The Minnesota Legislature passed the fee amount and it cannot be changed. For utilities that bill monthly or quarterly, this may result in varying amounts on bills, and we apologize for any additional administrative work this may create.
More Information: Safe Drinking Water Fee
Summer Waterline released
The latest edition of the MDH Waterline is released. Read a feature on decommissioned water towers, meet new MDH Drinking Water Protection staff members, and learn more about how chlorination can help stop disease outbreaks. During your sanitary survey, your district engineer will discuss the wells you have registered with your system and confirm the status of each well.
Read on: Waterline: Summer 2025
Duty officer calls
When drinking water emergency events occur, you must call the State Duty Officer. The duty officer is a message relay service and will notify the appropriate organizations for response. It is the one-stop shop for getting help quickly. DWP has a 24/7 emergency response program. By calling the duty officer you will be put into contact with a DWP staff member to assist you in determining what actions to take.
Make sure the duty officer understands that you are calling about a drinking water emergency so that your message is routed to the correct responders.
There are many types of events to report; some include:
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Low or no pressure.
- Chemical overfeeds or spills.
- Loss of power.
- Water main breaks.
- Break ins.
- Contamination.
- Cybersecurity breaches.
In addition to relaying your message to DWP, the duty officer may also contact others, such as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, a chemical assessment team (CAT), the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, MDH Emergency Preparedness and Response, or the Minnesota Fusion Center.
Drinking water treatment chemical overfeed
Chemical overfeeds are especially concerning to consumers and may also draw media attention. MDH can provide guidance for chemical overfeeds, such as chlorine, fluoride, permanganate, and pH. If you have a potential overfeed, report the incident to the State Duty Officer and your district engineer, who will help coordinate the overfeed response.
It is critical and required to have a well-documented and up-to-date emergency response plan. For assistance with emergency response planning contact your DWP district engineer.
More information:
Cybersecurity reminders
The Minnesota Fusion Center has shared announcements related to increased cyber threats to Minnesota drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. Conduct a cybersecurity assessment every year. Certify completion of the assessment to the MDH using the online form. For information on cybersecurity see our webpage Assessing Security of Public Water Systems.
Report suspicious activity by using the public Suspicious Activity Reporting form or by emailing the Minnesota Fusion Center at mn.fc@state.mn.us.
Report cybersecurity incidents to MNIT using the Cybersecurity Incident Reporting form.
Training and certification opportunities
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Cybersecurity 101: You can receive one Continuing Education Unit for completing the following technical assistance course provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Once you watch the training webinar and complete the Cybersecurity 101 quiz, you will receive a certification of completion for your work.
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Engaging Residents in Lead Service Line Replacement (LSLR): Many Messengers, Shared Message: In this webinar, offered Tuesday, July 29, from 1 to 2 p.m., explore how LSLR programs are working with trusted community messengers to promote LSLR.
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