Agenda - Council - 07/28/2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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July 23, 2015 Attn: Lanya Ross Metropolitan Council 390 Robert Street N Saint Paul, MN 55101 7550 Sunwood Drive NW • Ramsey, MN 55303 City Hall: 763.427.1410 • Fax: 763.427.5543 www.cityoframsey.com Re: City of Ramsey Response to Draft 2015 Master Water Supply Plan Dear Lanya: Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on the draft 2015 Twin Cities Metropolitan Area Master Water Supply Plan (MWSP). The City of Ramsey offers the following responses for your consideration. The City of Ramsey fully supports the Master Water Supply Plan's single overarching goal of achieving a sustainable water supply system for the region, both now and into the future. However, the City feels strongly that such sustainability must be achieved in an equitable manner through the development and use of regional water supply partnerships. Considering that regional water supply partnerships can be difficult and time consuming to develop, particularly when led by local agencies, we respectfully request that the Metropolitan Council consider actively supporting an effort to analyze the viability of regional partnerships from both service and funding perspectives. The City of Ramsey utilizes groundwater for our water supply needs, though surface water from the Mississippi River could be utilized if necessary. But as is noted in Chapter 5 of the MWSP, investing in surface water treatment plants carries a large cost. Due to the extremely high costs associated with a groundwater to surface water system conversion, cities such as Ramsey are unable to fund such improvements on our own and would require financial assistance to comply with any such requirement. We would also like to emphasize the need to maintain existing groundwater supply systems for supplemental or emergency water supply needs, such as when pollutants have been released into surface waters triggering temporary water supply facility shutdowns. The City supports the reduction of water consumption through further exploration and implementation of water conservation methods including irrigation reduction practices and stormwater and wastewater reuse. The City also supports promoting infiltration practices to aid in groundwater recharge. It is our mission to work together to responsibly grow our community, and to provide quality, cost-effective, and efficient government services.