6.1. ERMUSR 06-11-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Elk River Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING TO: FROM: - Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission David Berg—Water Superintendent John Dietz—Chair Al Nadeau—Vice Chair Daryl Thompson —Trustee MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: June 11, 2013 6.1 SUBJECT: Staff Update DISCUSSION: The Water Department has been cleaning and exercising gate valves, while repairing if needed. They have finished about 80 so far. They are also starting to paint some hydrants and had to repair two that were hit. Angela has been working with a couple of associations to get them to purchase SMART irrigation systems to help conserve water. Two of the associations are looking positive. Eric is working closely with the painting crew at the Freeport Water Tower to make sure they are keeping everything clean and safe and to learn the process. He is also working with the company that is installing new antennas on our water towers. Housing construction has started to pick up and we have delivered more new water meters so far this year than last. The summer is looking positive for new construction. I have attached an article on groundwater sustainability. A new report from the Freshwater Society concluded that groundwater pumping in Minnesota has increased by 2.8 billion gallons per year from 1988-2011. That ends up being a 31 percent increase over that period. In relation to that, Eric and I attended a seminar on the Mt. Simon aquifer that was very informational. It appears that a lot of cities and utilities have the same interesting—where is our water going? The DNR is trying to determine where the biggest recharge areas for the aquifer are and how we can further conserve water. I have attached a few educational flyers from the seminar. ATTACHMENTS: • Freshwater Society Report Examines Groundwater Sustainability • Mt Simon Aquifer Map & Graphs WI � J 3 Page NATURE F Reliable Public Power Provider P -;w i s r T S rnvr