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

Home

Available options to meet water demand: 1. Conservation 2.Groundwater sources 3. Stormwater reuse 4.Surface water sources 5. Enhanced recharge 6. Reclaimed wasterwater The following should be addressed as water plans are updated: • Potential for water use conflicts and well interference - Due to the pervasiveness of private wells in the metro area, there exists a potential water use conflict and well interference of all appropriators • Potential for impacts of groundwater pumping on surface water features and ecosystems - A state -designated trout stream is located within 5 miles of the community - Surface waters in the community may be directly connected to regional groundwater system • Significant vulnerability to contamination - A sinkhole (karst) has been mapped in or nearby the community - A vulnerable Drinking Water Supply Management Area has been designated within the community - A Special Well and Boring Construction Area has been designated within the community - Travel time from land surface to bedrock aquifers is estimated to be less than 50 years • Significant uncertainty about aquifer productivity and extent - Parts of the community may not be represented by a Minnesota Department of Health aqui- fer test - The county geologic atlas is more than twenty years old - Parts of the community may not be represented by a Minnesota Department of Natural Re- sources observation well • Regulatory considerations - A Groundwater Management Area has been designated within the community The Metropolitan Council's Local Planning Handbook contains interactive maps of all of these issues, and they are also summarized in Chapter 5 of this Master Water Supply Plan. The following actions are recommended: • Acknowledge the issues above in local water suppy plans and water appropriation permit applica- tions, including a plan to monitor. • Explore and support water demand (water conservation) programs such as incentives, ordinances, education and outreach, rates and other approaches. The Metropoliatn Council Water Conserva- tion Toolbox can support these efforts. • Before requesting water appropriations, water users in this areas should evaluate the need to ad- dress water conflict and well interference including a) an inventory of all active domestic and public water supply wells near proposed well locations and b) an anlysis of existing water level/water withdraw) data to identify where future drawdowns could affect domestic wells. • Due to the risk of impacting surface waters by groundwater pumping, consult with DNR to review existing information about groundwater withdrawals, water level, surface water flow, climate, and projected withdrawals and wells to predict the likelihood of a connection between aquifer WATER SUPPLY MASTER WATER SUPPLY PROFILES PLAN- Draft June 2015