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

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16 3 Water Use Now and In the Future Introduction The region's water supplies have supported public health, economic development, parks and recreation in our region for generations. In short, our quality of life. Going forward, our region is expected to grow and change, with increasing demand for water. This chapter discusses the region's current water use and how it is expected to change in the future. By 2040, it is estimated that the region will need about 100 million gallons of water per day more than in 2010, if current water use practices continue. The need to ensure that the water use is sustainable for future generations, while protecting the environment and habitat, becomes increasingly important. The comparison between water use and the information about available sources presented in Chapter 4 suggests that future water use should be matched to the best combination of sources available to sustainably meet demand. Water use priorities defined by Minnesota statutes Water is used for a wide range of purposes in the region - from drinking to construction dewatering. Should multiple users request water above the sustainable limits of the same source, the allocation of water is prioritized by who is using the water and for what purpose, according to the six categories listed below, in order of priority (2013 Minnesota Laws Chapter 103G.216): 1. Domestic water supply, excluding industrial and commercial uses of municipal water supply, and use for power production that meets the contingency planning provisions 2. Use of water that involves consumption of less than 10,000 gallons of water per day 3.Agricultural irrigation, and processing of agricultural products involving consumption in excess of 10,000 gallons per day 4. Power production in excess of the use provided for in the contingency plan 5. Uses, other than agricultural irrigation, processing of agricultural products, and power production, involving consumption in excess of 10,000 gallons per day 6. Nonessential uses Sustainable water use means that all of the region's water needs are met, which - as demand grows and competition for limited resources increases - means uses will need to be more efficient and matched to the most appropriate sources. For example, nonessential non -potable uses such as car washes or boulevard irrigation or may be better supplied by treated stormwater than by groundwater treated to drinking water standards. Users of water sources in the region The best source of water use information is data submitted by water appropriation permittees to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Between 1988 and 2012, these data were stored in the State Water Use Data System (SWUDS). In 2013, the DNR developed a new database to house and manage these data, the Minnesota Permitting and Reporting System (MPARS). In this report, SWUDS data is used to represent recent patterns and trends in water use; MPARS 2014 data represent current water use. In recent years (2003-2012), the metropolitan area used approximately 1,300 million gallons per day of surface water and groundwater. The biggest category of water use in the region is power generation (Figure 5). However, the metropolitan area power plants mostly use open -loop cooling systems where very little water is actually consumed; the rest is returned directly back to the surface water from WATER SUPPLY MASTER PLAN- Draft June 2015