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

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Figure 26. Correlation of monthly water bills to residential per capita water use. Residential G C C� Residential Per Capita Use versos Monthly Bill 160 140 1190it •+1." * } 4 + 0 # + - - - $ , • �-.-,_. ■ 4 1 • + IP 0 Fquhr.elem %i+mtth[y BI M Infrastructure costs are one of the biggest hurdles to expanding the use of surface water and reclaimed wastewater in the region. Water treatment requirements for surface water are usually higher than for groundwater, and most water users are located considerable distance from surface water and reclaimed wastewater sources. Even where the treatment costs are similar between groundwater and surface water, it is usually more financially feasible to gradually expand a groundwater supply system than to secure the up -front costs to construct a complete surface water system. There are currently only two surface water treatment plants in the region, operated by Minneapolis Water Works and Saint Paul Regional Water Services. Investing in additional surface water treatment plants is a large cost. The capital cost of a new surface water treatment plant to serve select communities in the north and east metropolitan area was estimated to be $44-291 million dollars. Operations and maintenance costs for such a system are estimated to be $4-9 million per year, proportioned based on relevant Saint Paul Regional Water Services costs. Distribution costs are equally challenging. For example, an assessment of the costs and benefits of using the St. Croix River to augment White Bear Lake highlights the high costs of installing forcemain and the energy needed to pump water from the river valley up to potential users (Metropolitan Council, 2014b). In 2015, the cost to construct a 50 million gallon per day treatment plant along the Minnesota River was estimated to be $150 million (Metropolitan Council, 2015b). Costs to collect and store large amounts of stormwater can also be costly. For example, work in Dakota County suggests that capital costs for stormwater capture and use systems for over 500,000 gallons is approximately $150,000-1,500,000 depending on the use of stormwater ponds versus underground storage systems (Metropolitan Council, 2015b). Key factors contributing to uncertainty This chapter provides a regional screening of some key water supply issues. The information presented here can be used in local water supply planning and technical analyses, if work is not already underway. WATER SUPPLY MASTER PLAN- Draft June 2015 55