2022 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

City of Gem Lake Comprehensive Plan GEMLK 140643 Page 77 8 Water Supply System Plan Currently the residents and businesses within Gem Lake receive water supply from varying sources. The City’s municipal water supply system consists of City of a short section of water main connecting to the White Bear Lake water system from which the water is purchased. The water passes through a meter vault where the flow quantity is tabulated and then the water is delivered to the customers along the line. Other homes and businesses, not located along this water line, utilize private wells for their water supply, with the exception of Tousley Ford and The Monessori School which receive water from Vadnais Heights. Although the private wells provide sufficient flow to meet daily demands, they do not provide enough water to fulfill fire flow demands resulting in higher insurance rates and risk for the residents. Also, using private wells as a water supply can result in issues with water contamination, poor quality of water, or the wells going dry. This chapter lays out a potential plan to make municipal water service available to all areas of the City. 8.1 Water System History Prior to the current water system development, the City of Gem Lake considered different options for the source of their water supply including building their own distribution system and purchasing water from the City of Vadnais Heights, City of White Bear Lake and White Bear Township. The City has incrementally moved forward with the option of purchasing water from the surrounding communities for their water supply. Recently, a single waterman has been constructed connecting the White Bear Lake distribution system to the service area it will be supplying. This watermain connects to the distribution system on County Road E, follows the existing Scheuneman Road, and ends after crossing US Highway 61. 8.2 Future Water System Option For purposes of future water system planning, a proposed water system layout was developed and is shown corresponding water planning map Figure 8.1. The City of Gem Lake is divided into three potential water service areas based on the ease of access to the surrounding community’s distribution system. The proposed pipe routes primarily go through already existing roads and developments, with the exception of the new Enclave development located in the Vadnais Heights service area. These routes are connected to the supplying distribution system in multiple locations to prevent dead ends in the system. Service from Vadnais Heights will be connected to the Vadnais Heights distribution system in five locations. Three of these connections are located on the southern side of the City south of County Road E, and the other two connecting west of Labore Road. Service from White Bear Lake distribution system currently connects to its service area on the southeast side of the City on County Road E. A second connection is proposed to be located on the northeast portion east of Hoffman Road. Service from White Bear Township distribution system is proposed to be located north of the railroad located on the northern side of the City.