2022 Vol 16, Issue 3 May Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 Municipal Water Systems Being Studied by City Late last year, the City Council of Gem Lake began to look at options for putting in a municipal water system, following the discovery of small amounts of pollution in 22 private wells in the city. The process began with the commissioning of a comprehensive municipal water study that would evaluate what options are available for obtaining water from a neighboring city, should it become necessary and how the system might be implemented. The first portion of the study was presented by the engineering firm Short Elliot and Hendrickson (SEH) at the January 2022 Council Meeting. The January report detailed two potential sources for obtaining municipal water, The City of White Bear Lake, and White Bear Township, both of which border Gem Lake. The study concluded that a viable system that could supply the entire city efficiently is possible, from an engineering perspective, from either of these neighbors. SEH evaluated factors such as water pressure, water quality, water treatment standards, etc. to draw their conclusions. They did not reach out to either neighbor to explore whether they would be able or willing to supply Gem Lake’s water needs at this point. The ballpark cost of a system from either White Bear Township or the City of White Bear Lake was estimated at between $11-12 Million. At the February City Council meeting, SEH was asked to develop Part Two of this water study. This second part evaluates options for phasing in a water system to the part of the city potentially most in need of municipal water. It also looks at possibilities for municipal water that could involve working with the City of Vadnais Heights. This portion of the water study is scheduled for discussion at the May 17 City Council Meeting. Because many residents of Gem Lake don’t currently want a municipal water system, and the majority of wells have not been impacted by contamination at present, it was the duty of the council to evaluate options such as moving from private wells to municipal water in phases, on an as needed basis. Therefore, Part Two of the Water Study explores additional potential options of providing safe, reliable sources of water within the City, with a goal of prioritizing those areas with known well water contamination and the areas with a higher likelihood for potential future well water issues. The area affected by well issues is generally in the Northwest part of the City. The goal would be to feed these smaller, localized water service areas by the nearest surrounding community’s distribution system, to limit project costs and complexities. The Engineering Firm SEH mapped out three priority service areas and described prices and options for each of these areas Priority Level 1 Service Area would provide water to either 40 or 48 houses, depending on which sub-option selected. Water could come from one of two surrounding cities. This option might cost somewhere between $2,261,029 and $3,478,076. Priority Level 2 Service Area would provide water to either 70 or 72 households depending on which sub- option selected. Water could come from one of three bordering communities. The options might cost somewhere between $2,487,613 and $2,771,100. Priority Level 3 Service Area would provide water to 2-4 households, depending on the sub-option selected. Water would come from one or two of the surrounding communities. The options might cost $367,021 and $478,820. Many engineering factors would have to be considered while determining the best and most feasible options for Gem Lake. These factors include water quality, system efficiency, topography, and the ability to reach agreement with surrounding communities to supply the city with water. This extensive Water Study will be discussed and evaluated over the course of the next few months. Your participation in this process would be welcomed.