Consideration of Recommending Preliminary City Council Approval of Draft Water Supply Plan

Purpose:
The purpose of this case is to obtain a recommendation from the Environmental Policy Board for preliminary City Council approval of the City of Ramsey’s draft Water Supply Plan.

Background:
All public water suppliers in Minnesota that operate a public water distribution/supply system, serve more than 1,000 people and/or all cities in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, must have a Water Supply Plan (WSP) approved by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR). The WSP must be updated and submitted to the MNDNR for approval every ten years. This requirement, in place since the 1990’s per attached Minnesota Statute 103G.291, is designed to encourage communities to deal proactively with providing sustainable drinking water for citizens, businesses, and industry.

Each community must preliminarily approve their draft WSP subject to MNDNR review and, for communities in the seven-county metropolitan area, Metropolitan Council review. Each community must submit their draft WSP to adjacent communities and the county for review and comment. If the MNDNR or the Metropolitan Council recommends changes to the draft WSP, the recommended changes must be incorporated into the WSP or a response must be provided stating why the changes were not incorporated prior to final plan adoption. Each community must officially adopt their WSP after it is approved by the DNR (and the Metropolitan Council if a metro community).

Attached is the current working draft of the City of Ramsey’s draft WSP which was prepared using a template document provided by the MNDNR. This is the third WSP prepared by the City of Ramsey.  The first WSP was prepared in 1994, with the second WSP prepared in 2004.
 
In summary, the plan addresses such things as local water supply resources; conservation efforts; treatment, storage, and distribution infrastructure; primary users; use projections; public education and outreach; and emergency preparedness. All Water Supply Plans must include the following parts:

1. Water Supply System Description and Evaluation
2. Emergency Planning and Response Procedures
3. Water Conservation Plan
4. Items Metropolitan Area Water Suppliers  

The attached plan submittal schedule requires the City of Ramsey (#101) to submit our draft WSP to the MNDNR by December 31, 2016.  Preliminary City Council approval of the draft WSP will therefore be requested on December 13, 2016, the last regular City Council meeting of 2016.  The following Boards, Commissions and Committees are being updated on the draft WSP prior to providing comments and recommendations to the City Council:

• Public Works Committee – November 15
• Environmental Policy Board – November 21
• Planning Commission – December 1

Immediately following preliminary City Council approval, the draft WSP will be submitted to the cities of Andover, Anoka, Elk River, Nowthen, and Oak Grove, as well as to Anoka County, for review and comment. Staff intends to submit the draft WSP electronically to the MNDNR on Thursday, December 29, using the MNDNR Permitting and Reporting System (MPARS). The MNDNR is responsible for sharing Ramsey’s draft WSP with the Metropolitan Council.

The attached WSP Instructions & Checklist contains detailed information on the plan preparation and submittal requirements.

Additional information can be found on the MNDNR’s Water Supply Plans web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/appropriations/eandc_plan.html

N/A

Observations:
N/A

Alternatives:
Alternative #1 – Motion recommending preliminary City Council approval of the City of Ramsey’s draft Water Supply Plan as presented.

Alternative #2 – Motion recommending preliminary City Council approval of the City of Ramsey’s draft Water Supply Plan with the following modifications; ________________.

N/A

Motion recommending preliminary City Council approval of the draft WSP with or without modifications.