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Community Water Supply Plans

Communities with a municipal water supply in the Metropolitan Area are required to prepare water supply plans as part of their communities' local comprehensive plans.

Public water suppliers that serve more than 1,000 people must also have their water supply plan approved by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The first round of plans were due January 1, 1996 and must be updated every 10 years. Communities must submit updates to the DNR between 2006 and 2008, and to the Metropolitan Council as part of their 2008 Local Comprehensive Plan Update.

Minnesota Statutes, Section 103G.291 Public Water Supply Plans

Minnesota Statutes, Section 473.859 Comprehensive Plan Content

Guidelines

The DNR and the Council have developed guidelines for the plan to meet the requirements of both agencies.  The second generation of plans must conform to the template developed by the DNR and Council.

One aspect of the required water supply plan is a conservation plan. Water conservation can help communities avoid capital improvements that are only necessary to meet peak (summer) demands. Conservation can also help reduce impacts on natural resources and increase sustainability of the water sources.

Resources for communities

Water Supply Plan Templates

The templates below should be saved as a new file and completed electronically. Please rename the template with a file name that identifies your community. If you have questions or problems using the template, please call (651) 602-1035 or send an e-mail to watersupply@metc.state.mn.us.

• Water supply plan instructions and checklist (MS Word)
• Water Supply Pplan template (MS Word)
• List of wells-table 4(B) (MS Word)
• List of wells-table 4(B) (pdf)
• Emergency telephone list template (MS Word)
• Emergency telephone list template (pdf)

See additional water supply plan resources from the Minnesota DNR.