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~ ~ '[~;~`;~'=y~' ~1,3~~--'~,~t"l„ ~ ~' Corttiuucd from page 1 That report, Water• !s Life: Protecting a Critical Resource For Future Generations, cited conflicting reports over the years about the sustainability of groundwater pumping in the Twin Cities and called fora "scientifically rigorous study of sustainability that will inspire consensus among experts and citizens." State Sen. Sandy Rummel, DFL-White Bear Lake, who chaired a subcommittee that wrote the water portion of legisla- tion that also covered wildlife habitat, parks and trails and the arts, said she assembled a thick file of previous reports on Minnesota's water resources. But she said the Freshwater report was the one she relied on most. "This was the one I started with," Rummel said of the Freshwater report. "It was the one I went to last. And it was the one I depended on all through it." Two other key legislators with deep interest in water and the environ- ment-Rep. Jean Wagenius, the chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the House Finance Commit- tee, and Sen. Ellen Anderson, chair of the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Budget Division of the Sen- ate Finance Committee-also cited the Freshwater report`s impact on the dis- cussion of water sustainability this year. "It was very important to me," Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, said of the report. Wagenius, DFL-Minneapolis, said the Freshwater report played a key role in focusing attention on groundwater. And the vote last fall by Minnesota citizens to increase the sales tax by three-eighths of one percent to benefit the environ- ment and the arts gave lawmakers the money-even in a time of state defi- cits-to boost spending on water. "Water went from being anon-issue to being a huge issue," Wagenius said. "And part of it was your (the Freshwa- ter Society's) work, and part of it was the new money." The water spending plan appropri- Buy and restore conservation easements for 50- to 100- $6.5 million foot buffers near lakes and rivers Map topography and drainage $3.6 million Increase groundwater testing and protection $7.5 million Encourage use of treated wastewater, including use by $4.7 million ethanol plants Speed up testing of lakes and rivers $15 million Clean up polluted lakes and rivers already designated $18 million as polluted Wastewater treatment grants to cities to reduce dis- $33 million charges of phosphorus and other pollutants Combat agricultural pollution by monitoring pesticides and fertilizers in groundwater, researching agricultural $9 million practices and making loans to farmers to pursue best management practices ates $750,000 for the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center to prepare a 25-year sustainability plan that will also have a 10-year component. The legislation directs the university to enlist the assistance of a string of state, federal and Local governmental agencies, plus "private nonprofits with expertise in water resources," in writing the plans. Anderson, Wagenius and Rummell said they expected the Freshwater Society would be involved in helping the university. The society currently is co-sponsoring, with the Water Resources "~la~ljr wend ~ru~ btrir~g a nci;f~- i~sue ~~ b~irtg a hugs issue:' -f~ep. Jt'~n ~~geniu~ Center, a series of workshops on sus- tainability for groundwater profession- als. The workshops have been aimed, in part, at developing a shared under- standing about how to think about, measure and model sustainability across Minnesota. Deb Swackhamer, co-director of the Water Resources Center, said she, too, envisioned that the Freshwater Society would be asked to play some role in preparing the sustainability plans. The new definition written into state law for water sustainability provides that, for the purposes of the 10- and 25-year plans, water uses will be con- sidered sustainable when they do not "harm ecosystems, degrade water qual- ity or compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs." Wagenius said the definition`s explicit recognition of the needs of ecosystems was a victory for the envi- ronment over purely human needs and values. The $151 million in water funding is part of about $397 million the Legisla- ture and Gov. Tim Pawlenty approved spending over two years on wildlife habitat, water, parks and trails and the arts. The water spending will maintain an effort, begun in 2006, to dramatically speed up the testing and clean-up of lakes and rivers. "We were on track to get this done in 40 years maybe, if we were lucky," Anderson said. "Now we will get there in 10 years." FACETS June 2009 /y';'