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7 <br />Taking Action <br />Introduction <br />Currently, over 100 independent water supply systems operate throughout the seven county Twin <br />Cities metropolitan area, and regional sustainability hinges on collaboration among these many <br />systems. There is no simple solution, no one answer. Rather, the future of water management will <br />involve many partnerships and enhancements to a highly complex set of systems. The approaches <br />will be varied, they will be creative, and they will require nimble thinking. <br />Now is the time to be thoughtful about our water future and take action to protect our water supply. <br />Water supply planning should not be done "after the fact", when options are limited, more costly, or <br />possibly more harmful to the natural environment. The plans made now for the growth and expansion <br />of the region should lay out a combination of steps that will keep our water supply safe and plentiful <br />for generations to come. <br />In partnership with key water supply stakeholders, the Metropolitan Council will help the region <br />achieve a sustainable water supply by implementing the water supply policies of the Council's Water <br />Resources Policy Plan consistent with the principles and information provided in this Master Water <br />Supply Plan. <br />This chapter provides more detail about how the policies and strategies are translated into action by <br />the Council and partners. More information about the Council's responsibilities and partners' potential <br />roles related to these actions are discussed in Chapter 8. <br />Approach <br />Providing sustainable water supplies across the region is a challenging and ongoing endeavor. Our <br />water supplies and the resources they support are a dynamic system that changes through time. <br />Public water suppliers, planners, scientists and engineers have been working together on this <br />challenge for over a century (Hall et al, 1911); this will continue to be a critical effort especially with <br />growth or change in climate. <br />While this is an iterative process, experience shows that efforts tend to be most successful when the <br />process includes certain steps (Table 4) (Appendix 5). The Metropolitan Council's approach to <br />regional water supply plan implementation supports these steps by promoting a region -wide process <br />for water supply education, subregional collaboration, water supply research, and technical and <br />planning assistance. <br />WATER SUPPLY MASTER <br />PLAN- Draft June 2015 <br />65 <br />