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Water, Water, Read All About It! The City of Lake Elmo has been working on a number of water related issues over the past year. Efforts have been focused on improving both water quality and water quantity. Water Quality. Lake Elmo has been dealing with issues related to PFAS contamination for nearly two decades now. The City continues to play an active role in the 3M State Settlement Work Groups. The plan adopted by the state in 2021 provides for flexibility in allowing Lake Elmo to explore pursing clean groundwater sources, implement a treatment plant or connect to surface water as our water supply. With the EPA’s pending rules lowering the safe level of PFAS in drinking water expected to be out this fall, the city has been proactively exploring all of these options again. The city’s well #2 is expected to exceed regulatory new levels so the city has decided to take it out of the rotation while we explore temporary treatment options. Because of this and our continued focus on water conservation (quantity), we also implemented a number of new local ordinances to reduce water usage. Water Quantity. The City has had two requests to increase our water appropriations amount to 540 million gallons a year denied by the DNR. Our current permit allows for 260 million gallons a year while in 2022 we actually pumped 400 million gallons. Our system is capable of producing more than we are authorized for but this regulatory restriction has led to further changes in our local water policies. During the past year, the city reviewed best practices and approved a number of ordinance changes aimed at reducing water use. These included an update to the irrigation standards, promotion of storm water reuse and improved topsoil requirements for new developments. In April, when the year was up on the moratorium on development in the southeast portion of the city, the City Council was still concerned about operating in violation of their water appropriation permit from the DNR and took another pause in approving new developments while waiting for a legislative solution. Thankfully, our state legislators passed language in the final week of session that allows the DNR to increase Lake Elmo’s water appropriation to be consistent with our water supply plan in the comprehensive plan. The new law is effective for four years to provide time for Lake Elmo and other municipalities in the east metro to work with our state agency partners to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure communities in the White Bear Lake area have access to sufficient, safe drinking water to allow for municipal growth while simultaneously ensuring the sustainability of surface water and groundwater resources to supply the needs of future generations. Over the past year, we have seen our daily water usage go from 560,000 gallons a day in the winter to over 3 million a day in the summer. This has resulted in the city’s per capita usage exceeding the state goals of 90 gallons per capita per day for all uses. (Water Issues Continued to Page 2) Summer 2023 3880 Laverne Avenue North - Lake Elmo, MN 55042 (651) 747-3900