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;tarTribune - Print Page http://www.startribune.com/printarticle/?id= 192783461 Last year, the number of well interference complaints spiked at 12 — most of them related to irrigation — compared to a previous yearly average of two. DNR officials say that greatly underrepresents the problem because people often resolve is themselves, don't file a complaint for fear of creating conflicts, or don't know that they can. The state is also being asked to resolve much bigger problems. This year, the city of Hibbing finally asked the DNR to weigh in on its ongoing dispute with Hibbing Taconite. For years, the company has been draining the water that collects in one of its massive pits in order to get to the ore that's below — and then sending the water into a nearby river and eventually Lake Superior. But a side effect is to lower the area's entire water table; now the level of the aquifer is low enough that one of the city's primary wells has dried up. The other two are running at capacity, said Gary Myers, general manager of the Hibbing Public Utilities Commission. He said the city has found a new water source in a different aquifer, but it's 2'/2 miles away from town, adding considerably to the $1.2 million cost. Now the question is who should pay. "That's an awful lot for us," Healy said. "But it's hard to put pressure on them. " Officials at Hibbing Taconite declined to comment but said in a statement that negotiations are underway. Train wreck? DNR water officials say it's time for local communities to start making decisions on water, rather than the state, because the current rates of use are not sustainable. "If you fail to make a choice, then at some point the aquifer will do that for you," said Jason Moeckel, a water manager for the DNR. This year the DNR will ask one or two water- strapped communities to bring in their biggest water users — cities, farmers, • ethanol plants and others — to negotiate conflicts among themselves. It's never been done in Minnesota, and though many may like the idea of "local control," the reality may be much more contentious, officials say. "Everyone likes [it] until they have to be a bad guy to their neighbor," said Jim Sehl, a DNR water manager. "That's going to be the toughest selling point — getting people to accept responsibility for making those tough decisions." Such choices may come as a shock to to Minnesotans' assumptions about water, said Deborah Swackhamer, co- director of the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota. Elsewhere in the country per- capita water use is declining, but not in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. That, she said, could require hard adjustments. Higher prices for water could result, or more water recycling, or the controversial idea of allowing cities to re- inject treated water back into aquifers. And the state may have to start saying no. "Because they can't keep giving out permits and waiting for the train to crash," she said. Josephine Marcotty • 612 - 673 -7394 © 2011 Star Tribune • 2/26/2013 7:44 AN Z of �