2009-01-22_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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~~ i ~® ~, ~r` ®.e Contini,ied from pale 1 The computer modeling predicts future water levels in aquifers based on historical data on rainfall and evapora- tion, surface land. use patterns and topography, measurements of the water depth in thousands of w=ells and data about the connection between ground and surface waters. The modeling also factors in assumptions about population growth and patterns of future water use. The water supply plan, which is scheduled to be considered by the Met- ropolitan Council early next year and eventually must be adopted by both the council and the Department of Natural Resources before it goes into effect, is intended to guide water use and water planning in the metro area through 2050. A current metro population of about 2.9 million people is projected to grow to 3.6 million by 2030, and to 4.3 million by 2050. The water supply plan, plus appen- dices and maps that accompany it, are available at: www.metrocouncil.org. The plan's narrative emphasizes the rela- tive abundance of ground water that the metro area enjoys. The maps and appendices spell out the water problems, where they are predicted to occur, on a community-by-community basis. No city would have to changes its grater supply or water use based solely A. I think the state is doing enough to regulate the ethanol industry, and here's why I think that. When you look at the water quality and quantity issues in Minnesota, there are many industrial users and municipal users that are as large, or larger, than ethanol plants. What we have to do is look at the whole picture. In order to address ethanol and biofuels, we have to make sure to invest on the computer predictions. But the modeling would force some communities to more closely monitor the health of the aquifers from which they pump. If measurements confirmed the big declines the modeling predicts in some areas, those communities would have to institute rigorous conserva- tions plans, switch pumping to other aquifers, buy water from their neighbors or build treatment plants to purify river water, instead of relying on wells. "I think probably what it tells us," said Chris Elvrum, the Metro Council's water supply manager, "is if we contin- ued blindly ahead-business as usual, as many people put it-we would run into problems with sustainability... We're going to have to shift a little bit away from business as usual. But, at this point, it doesn't suggest we're going to have to stop growing. We're going to have to be a little bit more creative about how we get water to these communities." Elvrum said the picture the H=ater sup- ply plan paints is far from a "widespread doomsday scenario." But the plan clearly shows that some communities may have to have to choose between growing and continuing to use overall in our ground water monitor- ing and research, rather than targeting a given industry. Another point about ethanol: If you look at how their effi- ciencies are improving, it's a different industry than it was 10 years ago. A. I just left breakfast with the deputy commissioner of the PCA and an assistant commissioner of DNR, and they wanted a meeting on this very ~c~rr~~tt ~tra ~u[atia~ +~f [[[[® pia [ [ r~j~~~ t~ r~ t~ Q [[I[~n y 2a~o. ground grater as they currently do. The executive summary of the 90-page water supply plan says that as a "com- mwlity reaches identified thresholds that indicate the possibility of negatively impacting the region's water supply, it must take actions that range from moni- toring the situation to ceasing use of the water source." "It's a big deal," Jim Japs, the assistant director of the Waters Division of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said of the water supply plan. Japs, who served on a committee that advised Elvrum and the Metropolitan Council staff that developed the plan, said both the DNR and the council will use the plan to help communities come to terms with a relatively constant under- ground water supply and a growing population. The water supply plan includes a set of "water supply issue responses" detailing actions communities would be required to take if the modeling predicts significant ground water declines or interference with surface waters within their borders. In most cases, the required responses include strict monitoring of Met Council model... Continues on page 10 subject. I think the coordination is pretty good. For examp]e, on budget develop- ment, we're always working together. Water quality monitoring-department of ag, health, PCA-~n=e share it. There are very few interagency disagreements. A good example is acetochlor, a her- bicide. The Department of Ag recom- mended that PCA take a look and regulate that. With that said, there are always areas for improvement, and I think one of the areas is trying to have good databases that are shared to make sure that the research is robust enough and doesn't overlap. We can do more there. 1=~CETS December 2008