Water group sets ambitious agenda

Council study on regional water supply issues is under way

Ensuring that communities have an adequate supply of water as the region continues to grow is one of the primary issues being addressed by the Metropolitan Council and its Metropolitan Area Water Supply Advisory Committee. At the committee’s first meeting in late January, Council Chair Peter Bell, who also chairs the advisory committee, outlined an ambitious agenda for the committee in 2006.

The Council was charged by the 2005 Minnesota Legislature with completing technical studies and developing a master plan to ensure the reliability, security and cost-effectiveness of the water supply system in the seven-county metropolitan area.

Ensuring an adequate water supply for some growing communities may become a challenge in the future, especially for those that rely on groundwater.

Homes, businesses and industries in the region currently consume about 384 million gallons of water each day. More than 800 million gallons are used for power generation, but this water is returned to the region’s three major rivers in almost the same volume as withdrawn. By 2030, when the region’s population is expected to reach 3.64 million, water consumption will reach an estimated 496 million gallons of water daily.

During its first few meetings, the committee will explore several issues, including the protection of ground and surface water resources, streamlining the permitting process for utility system design and appropriation, and funding for ongoing planning and capital projects. The committee will also discuss security issues related to water supplies and the region’s water conservation efforts.

In the fall months, the committee will assist the Council to prepare a report on the region’s water supplies, which is due to the legislature in January 2007.

“It is important for the region to evaluate ways to deal with water issues before they become crises,” said Keith Buttleman, the Council’s manager of environmental quality assurance. “The committee will look at efforts that are successful in other parts of the country and discuss how we can establish the mechanisms for greater regional cooperation here,” he explained.

Local governments will remain in charge of providing water

One subject that is not on the table, Bell said, is Council involvement in the water utility business. “That is not under consideration at all,” he said. In Minnesota, water provision is the responsibility of local municipalities.

The advisory committee, which was appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, includes four state commissioners, the Metropolitan Council chair and seven local officials. The committee’s remaining meetings in 2006 are at 9:30 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of March, April, May, July, September and November, all held at the Council’s administrative offices. Following submittal of the 2007 report to the legislature, the committee will continue to meet through December 2008 to assist the Council in its preparation of a regional water supply master plan.