Agenda - Council - 02/26/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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"Water Supply. The City currently operates five municipal wells in two well fields (Figure 13.2) and anticipates drilling an additional well in the near future. The first half of the wellhead protection plan for both well fields has been completed and approved by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). This half of the wellhead protection plan addresses WHPAs, DWSMAs and well vulnerability classifications for all municipal wells with the exception of well number 5. Well 5 is not part of the developing plan because it was constructed and activated after the wellhead delineation project began. A separate wellhead delineation project will be necessary for well 5 which could be performed in coordination as a plan addendum with other municipal wells that will be constructed within several years. The second part of the City's wellhead protection plan is currently in progress and will address contaminant sources and education initiatives within the site and the City WHPA/DWSMA. Items 19 and 20 further detail the geologic setting and the potential Town Center impacts to the water supply. Appendix F provides a discussion for the potential locations of additional municipal wells." The location of new wells within the City is currently under study by the City as part of its water supply plan update. As stated in the AUAR, three new wells are likely needed to support growth associated with the RTC site and the western portion of Ramsey. Wellhead protection and appropriation issues will be addressed by the Minnesota Department of Health and DNR as part of the permitting process, as identified in Table 8.1. Comment 8.22: We concur with the statements on pages 13-7 and -8 that groundwater level monitoring of the surficial aquifer would provide valuable information regarding trends in the availability of shallow groundwater that recharges the deeper aquifer utilized by the City's wells. If it becomes necessary, such wells could be used to test and monitor the quality of the surficial aquifer in the event of a spill other pollution event. Recommendation (of the commenter): 8. Insert discussion considering the installation of surficial monitoring wells to aid in determining if increased water demand from this development impacts groundwater availability. Selection of monitoring well positions should provide for determining groundwater flow direction. The materials and construction of the monitoring wells should be sufficient to utilize, if necessary, as water quality monitoring wells. Response: The "Permitting" paragraph in Item 13 was modified to reflect the County's comment. Comment 8.23: The statement on page 13-8 that underground storage tanks (USTs) are restricted within a wellhead protection area may not be accurate. We are not aware of any additional restrictions or requirements for USTs within wellhead protection areas. Recommendations (of the commenter): 34-18