Agenda - Planning Commission - 05/03/2018

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City of Ramsey Local Water Supply Plan PART 3. WATER CONSERVATION PLAN Minnesotans have historically benefited from the state's abundant water supplies, reducing the need for conservation. There are however, limits to the available supplies of water and increasing threats to the quality of our drinking water. Causes of water supply limitation may include: population increases, economic trends, uneven statewide availability of groundwater, climatic changes, and degraded water quality. Examples of threats to drinking water quality include: the presence of contaminant plumes from past land use activities, exceedances of water quality standards from natural and human sources, contaminants of emerging concern, and increasing pollutant trends from nonpoint sources. Priority 1: Significant water reduction; low cost Priority 2; Significant water reduction; significant costs Priority 2: Slight water reduction, low costs (low hanging fruit) Priority 3: Slight water reduction, significant costs (do only if necessary) There are many incentives for conserving water; conservation: • reduces the potential for pumping -induced transfer of contaminants into the deeper aquifers, which can add treatment costs • reduces the need for capital projects to expand system capacity • reduces the likelihood of water use conflicts, like well interference, aquatic habitat loss, and declining lake levels • conserves energy, because less energy is needed to extract, treat and distribute water (and less energy production also conserves water since water is use to produce energy) • maintains water supplies that can then be available during times of drought It is therefore imperative that water suppliers implement water conservation plans. The first step in water conservation is identifying opportunities for behavioral or engineering changes that could be made to reduce water use by conducting a thorough analysis of: • Water use by customer • Extraction, treatment, distribution and irrigation system efficiencies • Industrial processing system efficiencies • Regulatory and barriers to conservation • Cultural barriers to conservation • Water reuse opportunities Once accurate data is compiled, water suppliers can set achievable goals for reducing water use. A successful water conservation plan follows a logical sequence of events. The plan should address both conservation on the supply side (leak detection and repairs, metering), as well as on the demand side (reductions in usage). Implementation should be conducted in phases, starting with the most obvious and lowest -cost options. In some cases one of the early steps will be reviewing regulatory constraints to water conservation, such as lawn irrigation requirements. Outside funding and grants may be available for implementation of projects. Engage water system operators and maintenance staff and customers in brainstorming opportunities to reduce water use. Ask the question: "How can I help save water?" 35 April 7, 2017