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CITY OF LAKE ELMO <br />WASHINGTON COUNTY <br />STATE OF MINNESOTA <br />RESOLUTION NO. 2022-027 <br />A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS TO ENSURE A <br />SUSTAINABLE, SAFE, AND RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY <br />WHEREAS, the City holds a water appropriation permit to draw water from the Prairie du <br />Chien -Jordan Aquifer, which feeds into White Bear Lake, this pen -nit allows the City to provide <br />safe water to its residents, businesses, schools, and hospitals; <br />WHEREAS, on February 28, 2018, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources amended <br />the City's water appropriation permit due to fluctuating lake levels on White Bear Lake and the <br />resulting advocacy of homeowners on the lake who want sufficient lake levels for recreational <br />activities; and <br />WHEREAS, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources ("DNIV ), at the direction of a <br />2021 Ramsey County Court Order in Case File No: 62-CV-13-2414, filed a letter with the Court <br />on February 7, 2022 illustrating its preparedness to limit the City's water appropriation permit to <br />55 gallons of water per day per person on average, along with other municipalities within a 5 <br />mile range of White Bear Lake in order to comply with the Court's Order; <br />WHEREAS, such proposed restrictions on the City's water permit present a dire threat to safe <br />and reliable water access for local schools, hospitals, new housing developments, and other <br />industries; <br />WHEREAS, the DNR's potential permits amendments threaten the health, welfare, growth, and <br />prosperity of the City, and surrounding communities, and is an untenable solution to shared use <br />of the aquifer; <br />WHEREAS, the issue of groundwater usage from the Prairie du Chien -Jordan Aquifer is a <br />regional concern that involves a significant number of communities across three counties, <br />including their residents, businesses, schools, hospitals, and numerous other public and private <br />uses. <br />WHEREAS, recognizing the importance of conservation and sustainability is best achieved <br />through localized strategies; <br />WHEREAS, the Minnesota Legislature is in a position to provide a legislative solution to <br />groundwater permitting in the Prairie du Chien -Jordan Aquifer and reinforce the role of the DNR <br />in engaging in water appropriation based on science and public health. <br />220775 <br />