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

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18 From 2003 to 2012, an average of about 866 million gallons of water per day was used by power plants in the metropolitan area. Most of the water used for power generation comes from surface water sources, but a small percentage comes from groundwater. Because power generation is so dependent on surface water supply, drought response is a critical component of contingency planning. For example, the System -wide Low -flow Management Plan for the Mississippi River above Saint Paul, Minnesota helps ensure that "run -of -river" operations are maintained by hydropower operators during low flow to minimize artificial flow fluctuations resulting from power generations and to protect aquatic resources. Although power generation is a large water demand, almost all of this water is used and then returned back to its original source. Consequently, power generation, although a large use, is not a primary focus of the Master Water Supply Plan. Public water systems (community: municipal and nonmunicipal) Public water supply is the second largest, and fastest growing, water demand in the metropolitan area. Over 120 separate public water suppliers provide the bulk of the region's drinking water and supports commerce and industry. A relatively small amount of public water supply is provided by commercial and institutional water works and private waterworks. Municipal systems use the most water for a variety of purposes, which complicates the process of setting water use priorities for emergency planning. Water use for domestic purposes is first priority, but other municipal use is usually fifth or sixth priority. From 2003 to 2012, an average of about 364 million gallons per day for municipal and non -municipal public water supplies including residential, industrial and commercial uses. Today, most of the water used by public water suppliers comes from groundwater, although this hasn't always been the case. WATER SUPPLY MASTER PLAN- Draft June 2015