2008-07-24_Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Include procedures and timelines for amending the Plan. The key goals that have been developed in the draft Ramsey County Groundwater Protection Plan include: • Assist cities with State requirement to complete a Wellhead Protection Plan by May 24, 2009; • Invest Ramsey Conservation District with the responsibility of being the leader in the groundwater protection planning process and the repository of County groundwater data; • Ramsey Conservation District document how enhanced storm water infiltration effects groundwater quality in order to provide watershed management organizations assurance that efforts are not degrading the groundwater resource. It was noted that University research on rain gardens supports this. • Adopt an "Early Warning" ordinance for groundwater monitoring of well systems on specific industrial properties that may potentially impact mandated Drinking Water Supply Management Areas in Ramsey County. This would require additional expense. It has yet to be determined who would receive the data and what action would be taken if contamination were found. • Watershed management organizations and cities are to require storm water reuse, as well as infiltration, as part of their permitting process for new development, redevelopment and retrofit storm water management. • Municipal water purveyors in Ramsey County are encouraged to develop progressive water rate structures to the extent that their rate structures should encourage conservation of this limited resource. Representative Gardner has made this recommendation. It is being done in Shoreview and is under discussion in Roseville. • Continue to fund sealing abandoned wells that could serve as conduits for contaminants into drinking aquifers. Ramsey Conservation District has grant funds available for this use. • Create a formal Groundwater Protection Joint Powers Organization to keep the Plan updated and institutionalize groundwater protection. It is important that the plan not be put on a shelf but be an instrument to implement recommendations. • Accept an offer by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Mounds View to install, at their expense, automated systems for monitoring groundwater elevations in several County observation wells. This data will improve everyone's understanding of groundwater recharge crucial to the drinking water aquifer. Chair Stark noted that this is an expensive technique that will need cooperative funding. It is not in GLWMO's mission. Mr. Maloney noted that there are many agencies involved in responsibility for groundwater. As an example, cities prepare plans for the DNR and Metropolitan Council. A greater service would be a way to reduce the number of agencies involved, rather than add a new layer.