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<br />SPECIAL INTEREST <br />ARTICLES <br /> <br /> Water System <br />Planning Continues <br /> MPCA Provides Well <br />Update <br /> Tribute to Dr. <br />Roland Birkebak <br /> 2026 Budget <br /> Stormwater <br />Management <br /> City News <br /> <br /> 2026 Recycling <br />Calendar <br /> New Businesses <br /> Winter Parking <br />Restrictions <br /> Annual Dog <br />Licenses <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />SCHEDULED <br />RECYCLING DATES <br /> <br /> December 17 <br /> <br /> December 31 <br /> <br /> January 14 <br /> <br /> January 28 <br /> Gem Lake News <br />December 2025 | Volume 19 | Issue 6 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor <br /> <br />MPCA Provides Well Update <br /> Gem Lake Water Update <br /> <br /> <br />Long-term planning for a municipal water system in Gem Lake, where it <br />would reach, how it would be funded and how it might be rolled out were <br />discussed in detail at the November 18 Gem Lake City Council meeting. <br />After 1,4 dioxane was discovered in <br />several dozen wells in Gem Lake <br />several years ago, the city <br />commissioned a comprehensive water <br />plan. This plan laid out how the city <br />might obtain a municipal water system, <br />where the water might come from and <br />what it would cost. Many alternatives <br />were laid out, including a full system <br />serving all the city, or a partial system, <br />which would initially serve only the <br />main areas affected by well <br />contamination. The plan was high level <br />and necessary order to seek federal <br />and state funding options. <br />After years of seeking grants to help pay for municipal water, the city was <br />awarded a little less than $1M from the federal government. It was decided <br />to start the process of municipal water system engineering to lay out more <br />specific details of how a water system could be built, while continuing to seek <br />the additional funding needed to make the project happen. <br />That engineering has now been completed for what the city is calling Phase <br />One of the adoption of municipal water. This is the first step in a long process <br />involving joint power agreements, public hearings, funding applications, etc. <br />It was decided, based on the current environment for obtaining state and <br />federal money, that it would be best to start with the area of the city most <br />affected by ground water pollution. This area is the northwestern part of the <br />city, encompassing the area where all the several dozen 1,4 dioxane <br />contamination was found. (continued on page 2) <br /> <br />An update on the condition of wells in the City of Gem Lake was once again <br />the subject of a presentation by representatives from the Minnesota <br />Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) during the November 18th City Council <br />meeting. (continued on page 3) <br />Figure 1. Proposed location map