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2 <br />The region's water supplies are not limitless, and activities within the region can affect water quality <br />and quantity. Regional water supply planning can help to address issues such as regional and <br />subregional groundwater declines, localized water shortages, contamination, and negative impacts on <br />surface waters and help the region prepare for events such as drought. For example, in parts of the <br />region, groundwater levels are declining. In some areas, it has lowered lake and wetland levels and <br />impacted waterways and this has the potential to affect many more with increasing demands on our <br />groundwater resources. <br />The development of this plan is not motivated by widespread water shortages or crises. Rather, this <br />plan is a response to the recognized benefits of developing and maintaining a plan that supports <br />current and future populations without adverse impact to natural and economic resources. <br />Water is livability <br />Water is vital to the region's present and future quality of life. It is key to our identity as Minnesotans <br />and what we want for our children. <br />Quality of life surveys repeatedly identify water -related features - parks, trails, beaches, etc. - as the <br />region's most attractive features. Seventy-eight (78%) of the 2012 Residents Survey respondents <br />considered water supply and water quality monitoring to be very important Council programs and <br />responsibilities. <br />Water is prosperity <br />Water is vital to the region's present and future prosperity. Every sector of the region's economy is <br />influenced by water - agriculture, manufacturing, mining, travel and lodging, and services. When <br />critical water demands are met, health and economic impacts are avoided. <br />Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development reported that, in 2014, Minnesota <br />has more Fortune 500 companies per capita than all but one state, with 18 Fortune 500 companies <br />headquartered in the state. By metropolitan area, Minneapolis -St. Paul ranks first among the 30 <br />largest metropolitan areas in the number of Fortune 500 companies per capita. Those companies rely <br />on stable water supplies. Seven of the metro area's Fortune 500 companies each have water permits <br />to use more than 1 billion gallons of water a year; others are large customers of public water supplies. <br />Benefits of the regional water supply planning process <br />With the Master Water Supply Plan, communities are better able to take the most proactive, cost <br />effective approach to long term planning and permitting to ensure plentiful, safe, and affordable water <br />for future generations. <br />The plan supports this work by providing planning assistance to connect growth planning coordinated <br />by the Metropolitan Council with water supply permitting conducted by the Minnesota Department of <br />Natural Resources. <br />Benefits of the Master Water Supply Plan include: <br />Regional perspective informs local planning.Water does not follow political boundaries, and <br />water use decisions can have impacts that extend across multiple jurisdictions. The Master Water <br />Supply Plan provides a perspective and tools to help develop and implement local plans that support <br />sustainable water supplies across the region. <br />Better data, better analyses.The specific water supply sources and associated regional and local <br />issues identified in this plan are supported by analyses based on the best available regionally <br />consistent data and tools, such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) water use <br />database and regional groundwater flow model (Metro Model 3). This regional approach to water <br />supply assessment objectively highlights potential problem areas and thus reduces the likelihood that <br />water supply problems will develop "under the radar". <br />WATER SUPPLY MASTER <br />PLAN- Draft June 2015 <br />