The Environmental Protection Agency has (EPA) sent a letter to Mayor Emily Larson and the Duluth City Council that cites “significant deficiencies” following an August inspection on the City of Duluth’s public water system.

The EPA outlined 27 different deficiencies for the city to address that have “the potential for causing the introduction of contamination into the water delivered to consumers as defined 40 C.F.R. § 141.723.”

In a statement to WDIO, the EPA clarified that there is currently no safety concern with Duluth’s drinking water.

“Drinking water sampling results reported to EPA do not indicate immediate concerns about the safety of the drinking water, EPA’s concerns relate to the system’s operation and maintenance,” explained EPA Press Officer Macy Pressley. “EPA notified the city of Duluth of its findings in late August and began meeting regularly with the city and the Minnesota Department of Health in September. EPA will continue to coordinate with the Minnesota Department of Health and the city of Duluth on next steps.”

Jim Benning, Director of Public Works and Utilities in Duluth released the following statement:

“Public Works and Utilities are in receipt of a letter outlining  the report from their August inspection of our water system. It outlines several repairs needed to the water infrastructure. It is important to note that the quality of our drinking water supply is not affected by anything in this report. Our department will continue to work through the items in the report and comply with the EPA’s request for a response addressing them in ten days.”