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<br />[204185/1] 5 <br />24. These permits are “perpetual” – because they do not have specific end <br />dates listed – but, as detailed below, include annual appropriation limits: <br />Permit Holding Municipality Year Permit Issued Annual Authorized <br />Withdrawals in Millions of <br />Gallons <br />Hugo 1975 650 <br />Lake Elmo 1961 260 <br />Lino Lakes 1985 900 <br />Mahtomedi 1969 315 <br />Oakdale 1978 1,210 <br />Vadnais Heights 1980 579 <br />White Bear Lake 1969 1,15024 <br /> <br />25. Not every community withdraws the entire amount of groundwater <br />authorized by its appropriation permit each year. In fact, the limits are structured to “allow <br />groundwater users to respond to rare emergencies, such as firefighting or emergency <br />inter-connections with other communities, without violating the permit.”25 <br />26. The Prairie du Chien and Jordan aquifers are hydro-geologically connected <br />to White Bear Lake. Groundwater flows both into and out of White Bear Lake.26 <br />27. As groundwater is pumped from the aquifers for domestic, agricultural, and <br />industrial uses, the withdrawal of water creates a “cone of depression” and draws surface <br />water from White Bear Lake down into the aquifers below.27 <br />28. In this way, the level of White Bear Lake is directly affected by the water <br />level in the aquifers below – and by extension, the withdrawals of groundwater made by <br />the permit holders out of those aquifers.28 <br /> <br />24 See DNR Ex. 19 at 7; Hugo Ex. 9; Lake Elmo (Elmo) Ex. 1; Lino Ex. 1; Oakdale (Oak) Ex. 1; Mahtomedi <br />(Maht) Ex. 11; White Bear Lake (WBL) Ex. 3; Vadnais Heights (VH) Ex. 3. See also Minn. R. 6115.0750, <br />subp. 2 (2023) (“Long-term permits will remain in effect subject to applicable permit provisions and <br />conditions of the permit, the law, and [Minn. R. ch. 6115]”). <br />25 DNR Ex. 3., Attachment A at 17. <br />26 Hearing Transcript (Tr.) Volume (Vol.) 4 at 68-71 (Grubb). In order to “to simplify the process of judicial <br />review” of the hearing record “as well as increase its ease and availability” (see Minn. Stat. § 14.001 (7) <br />(2022)) the evidentiary hearing transcripts are denominated as follows: October 17, 2023 (Vol. 1); <br />October 18, 2023 (Vol. 2); October 19, 2023 (Vol. 3); October 30, 2023 (Vol. 4); October 31, 2023 (Vol. 5); <br />December 11, 2023 (Vol. 6); December 12, 2023 (Vol. 7); December 13, 2023 (Vol. 8); December 14, 2023 <br />(Vol. 9); December 15, 2023 (Vol. 10). <br />27 Volume (Vol.) 4 at 131-32 (Grubb). <br />28 Id. at 39, 47-48, 59, 70-71, 88-89, 91-93, 120-21, 125-26.