Congresswoman McCollum, Senator Tina Smith Secure Funding for Local Water Infrastructure
Households in Gem Lake have been relying on bottled water after a common carcinogen was found in private wells
On Thursday, the EPA awarded $1,092,000 to the City of Gem Lake. Congresswoman McCollum and Senator Tina Smith secured the funding for the Municipal Water Supply Community Project through the FY 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Following the grant award, Congresswoman McCollum released the following statement:
“In the East Metro, we understand just how vital safe drinking water is to the health of our community,” Congresswoman McCollum said. “This federal investment will help protect the health of Gem Lake residents by providing them with safe drinking water.”
“Clean drinking water should be a basic standard in this country,” said Senator Tina Smith. “Gem Lake citizens have been rightfully concerned about carcinogens in their water supply, and this new system will give residents some peace of mind. I’m glad Rep. McCollum and I were able to secure this funding.”
“Betty McCollum’s office was instrumental in helping us in all phases of grant application and processing. We are very grateful for the help and on-going professionalism” Gem Lake Mayor
This funding would be used for the construction phase of a new water supply system to provide safe drinking water to residents. In FY 2024, Congresswoman McCollum secured $959,757 which was used to fund the design of the new water supply system.
Sampling performed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) detected 1,4-dioxane, a likely human carcinogen, in several private wells in Gem Lake. While the cause of the contamination has not been narrowed to one source, the residents of Gem Lake are not responsible for it, nor did they contribute to the issue. The MPCA has been providing residents with bottled water, a short-term solution.