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Metropolitan Agencies <br />4-G Regional Water Supply Planning <br />The 2005 Legislature authorized the Metropolitan Council to carry out regional planning <br />activities to address the water supply needs of the Metro Area. A Metropolitan Area <br />Water Supply Advisory Committee that includes state agency representatives and local <br />officials was concurrently established to assist the Council in developing a master water <br />supply plan that includes recommendations for clarifying the roles of local, regional and <br />state governments, streamlining and consolidating approval processes and recommending <br />future planning and capital investments. The Master Water Supply Plan serves as a <br />framework for assisting and guiding communities in their water supply planning, without <br />usurping local decision making processes. Many cities also conduct their own analyses <br />for use in water supply planning. <br />The extension of the committee, which includes five metro area municipal officials, <br />allows the committee to continue to play a key role in the development and direction of <br />water supply planning activities as the Master Plan is updated and implemented with <br />additional information and data as they become available. <br />As the Met Council continues its assessment of the region's water supply and issues <br />around sustainability, the Council must work cooperatively with local policymakers and <br />professional staff throughout the region on an on-going and structured basis, to ensure a <br />base of information for water supply decision making that is sound, credible and <br />verifiable, and that takes into account local information, data, cost -benefit analyses and <br />projections before any resulting policy recommendations are issued. <br />Metro Cities encourages the Metropolitan Council to consider the inter -relationships of <br />wastewater treatment, storm water management and water supply. Any state and regional <br />regulations and processes should be clearly stated in the Water Supply Plan. Further, <br />regional monitoring and data collection benefits should be borne as shared expenses <br />between the regional and local units of government. <br />Metro Cities supports Metropolitan Council planning activities which address <br />regional water supply needs and water planning activities as prescribed in statute. <br />Metro Cities opposes the insertion of the Metropolitan Council as another regulator <br />in the water supply arena. Metro Cities further opposes the elevation of water <br />supply to "Regional System" status, or the assumption of Met Council control and <br />management of municipal water supply infrastructure. <br />Metro Cities supports new laws that expand municipal representation on the water <br />supply advisory committee, creates a technical advisory committee with municipal <br />officials, and eliminates the requirement that city comprehensive plans be consistent <br />with the regional water supply plan. These changes will strengthen input and <br />collaboration around water supply planning, and help to ensure that sound <br />scientific analyses and models are developed before legislative solutions to these <br />issues are considered. <br />40 2016 Legislative Policies <br />