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environmentally, and economically efficient. <br />City water suppliers have invested many <br />billions of dollars to develop their utility <br />systems and infrastructure in a manner that <br />meets those criteria. <br />Demand and supply sides of this issue are <br />being addressed throughout the state. Cities <br />have established educational programs, <br />incentives, and local water use restrictions to <br />further improve water conservation efforts, <br />while appliances and plumbing fixtures are <br />becoming more efficient in their water use. <br />Furthermore, stormwater is being infiltrated <br />into the ground at unprecedented levels as <br />part of municipal stormwater permit <br />requirements and is being redirected for <br />irrigation purposes in some cities. <br />Despite those efforts, there are places in the <br />state where monitoring data indicates that <br />water may be being used faster than the <br />supply can sustain, particularly in the case of <br />underground aquifers. These issues are very <br />complex, however, and causes and effects <br />are not always easily documented or <br />understood. City water supplies are not the <br />only users of that water, either. Industries, <br />smaller private wells, agricultural <br />operations, irrigation systems, and <br />contamination containment and treatment <br />can all be major drains on local water <br />supplies. Hard facts and sound science need <br />to be used to determine the best courses of <br />action to assure that safe, reliable, affordable <br />water supplies are available to future <br />Minnesotans. Those approaches will vary <br />considerably depending on local water and <br />soil conditions, the types and sizes of users, <br />and the quantity and quality of available <br />water. They also need to be coordinated <br />between the many state entities that play a <br />role in water management and regulations so <br />that scarce local resources are not wasted <br />and efforts are not counterproductive to <br />other priority environmental and public <br />health results. <br />Response: The state should lead the <br />development of sound scientific <br />information on water supply, aquifer <br />recharge, and groundwater availability <br />and quality, making good use of the <br />existing studies, data, and staff expertise <br />of municipal water suppliers. <br />The state should also be working to <br />remove barriers to water re -use, aquifer <br />recharge, encouraging cultural changes in <br />water use practices, applying technology <br />for smart water use, exploring impacts <br />and creative mitigation options at <br />contaminated sites, on ways to incent and <br />enable alternate uses of stormwater, and <br />ways to make sure that all water users <br />play a role in ensuring that water supplies <br />are being managed in a manner that is <br />sustainable for future residents. Those <br />solutions need to keep in mind that <br />essential residential water use is the <br />highest preferred use of public water <br />supplies. <br />Finally, in cases where sound <br />management of water resources will <br />require substantial modifications in <br />public water systems that were previously <br />determined to be adequate, the state <br />needs to be a partner in developing cost- <br />effective solutions and in providing the <br />technical and financial resources to make <br />those changes to prevent communities <br />from being economically uncompetitive. <br />SD -62. Impaired Waters <br />Issue: Despite the billions of dollars that <br />Minnesota municipalities have invested and <br />continue to invest in wastewater and <br />stormwater management systems, and best <br />management practices to protect, preserve, <br />and restore the quality of Minnesota's <br />surface waters, the quality of some of <br />Minnesota's surface waters does not meet <br />federal water quality requirements. The <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2016 City Policies Page 39 <br />