DNR Update for the N&E Metro GWMA Project

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources header

You are subscribed to Groundwater - North & East Metro Groundwater Management Area for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.

3/28/14

DNR Update for the N&E Metro GWMA Project

GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) shares responsibility for sustaining groundwater resources with public sector partners, as well as with individuals and businesses that use groundwater. The DNR is responsible for permitting groundwater use, for collecting information on groundwater resources, and for providing technical assistance that supports groundwater conservation.

The DNR intends to establish a North & East Metro Groundwater Management Area (GWMA) to help improve its management of groundwater in Ramsey, Washington, and southern Anoka counties. The DNR is in the process of drafting a plan to guide its management actions in the North & East Metro. The plan will use the seven management strategies identified in the statewide Draft Groundwater Strategic Plan. More information is posted on the project webpage.

DNR HOLDS PROJECT ADVISORY TEAM MEETINGS

Public participation is an essential part of DNR’s planning process for the North & East Metro Groundwater Management Area. The DNR has asked members of the public and organizations that use groundwater to participate on a “Project Advisory Team.” The Project Advisory Team will provide advice and feedback on the DNR plan as it is being drafted. The Project Advisory Team meets monthly. It has already met four times.

At its March 14th meeting, the Project Advisory Team discussed two strategies critical to a sustainable water supply: conservation and compliance.

To begin the meeting, Brian Davis, with the Metropolitan Council provided a summary of a project undertaken with the assistance of the University of Minnesota’s Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP). The project looked at opportunities and barriers to water conservation by private industrial users in the eleven-county Twin Cities metro region. The study indicated significant potential for reductions in water use. In particular, three industrial users that sponsored interns to take a closer look at their water consumption identified savings of 70 million gallons and $100,000 per year. The report can be viewed at the Metropolitan Council webpage.

Moving on to other real-world conservation examples, Bryan Bear, city administrator for Hugo, gave an overview of some of the measures that city is pursuing to cut down on the amount of water used there. Among approaches the city is exploring: switching large irrigators such as golf courses from city well water to stormwater, landscaping ordinances that encourage use on more drought-tolerant vegetative cover, soil moisture monitoring to determine sprinkling needs, sprinkling restrictions, and adjusting water rates to better encourage conservation. Bryan also highlighted approaches the city is taking toward stormwater management to enhance infiltration and aquifer recharge. Bryan emphasized that every city has unique set of circumstances, so their approaches to conservation will also be unique.

While such proactive conservation measures can go a long way toward assuring a sustainable future for groundwater supplies, the DNR’s statewide groundwater plan also points out the necessity of doing a better job of assuring compliance with state water permit requirements. Julie Ekman, conservation assistance and regulation manager for the DNR’s division of Ecological and Water Resources, provided an overview of a report to the legislature calling for enhanced authority to investigate and enforce compliance with water appropriation regulations. Legislation addressing some of the recommendations has been introduced in both the House (HF 2616) and the Senate (SF 2060).  The report is posted on the DNR’s Legislative Reports webpage.

Following the presentations, the Project Advisory Team organized into small groups to develop and provide more detailed feedback on the two strategies.

NORTH & EAST METRO GWMA FACTS

A Snapshot of Groundwater Use in the North & East Metro GWMA. There are 260 active DNR permits that use groundwater in the N&E Metro GWMA. The annual average use by those permits was 29.0 billion gallons over the five-year period 2008 through 2012. Total groundwater use in the area over the five-year period was 30.6 billion gallons per year, after adding in small volume domestic wells (estimated by Met Council for 2010 to be 1.6 billion gallons per year). Groundwater use is broken down into several additional categories. A chart displaying this information along with accompanying text is posted on the GWMA's project documents page.

UPCOMING PROJECT MEETINGS

April 11, 2014 Project Advisory Team Meeting.   The North & East Metro Groundwater Management Area Project Advisory Team will meet on April 11th from 8:30 to 11:30 am. The meeting will be held at the DNR Central Office, 500 Lafayette Road in St. Paul.

The meeting will include a discussion of how the DNR could improve the information it uses for groundwater management decisions in the North & East Metro. More information about the planned meeting and the agenda will be posted on the project webpage.

Individuals do not need to be on the Advisory Team to attend. The Advisory Team meetings are open for interested parties to observe and time is available to provide comments and ideas.

For directions and parking information for the DNR Central Office, visit the parking webpage.

May 16, 2014 Project Advisory Team Meeting.   The North & East Metro Groundwater Management Area Project Advisory Team will meet on May 16th from 8:30 to 11:30 am. More information about the planned meeting and the agenda will be posted on the project webpage.

PROJECT ADVISORY TEAM MEETINGS HELD FOR TWO OTHER GWMAs

On March 20th and March 26th the Project Advisory Teams for the Straight River GWMA and Bonanza Valley GWMA met to discuss the working boundaries and sustainability objectives for the groundwater management areas in central and northern Minnesota.

For more information on future Project Advisory Team meetings for these two GWMAs, go the DNR’s GWMA webpage.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO ENGAGE

  • April 11, 2014 - Project Advisory Team Meeting.  DNR Central Office, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul. 8:30 – 11:30 am.
  • May 16, 2014 - Project Advisory Team Meeting.  DNR Central Office, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul. 8:30 – 11:30 am
  • Web based Survey – Read the Draft Groundwater Strategic Plan, complete the survey. The public survey portion of the project will be closed in April.
  • Project Updates Available - For information about the project, updates have been posted on the project webpage.

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have questions about this project, please contact Paul Putzier, DNR project manager at 651-259-5692; paul.putzier@state.mn.us or visit the DNR’s GWMA webpage.