5.5. ERMUSR 01-09-2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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i Elk River ^� Municipal Utilities 13069 Orono Parkway phone: 763.441.2020 Elk River, MN 55330 Fax 763.441.8099 December 20, 2006 Ms. Laurel Reeves DNR Water 500 Lafayette Rd Box 48 St. Paul, MN 55155-4048 Subject: Water Use Permit Dear Laurel, Elk River School District#728 has a desire to bypass the Elk River municipal water system and utilize their own wells for lawn irrigation purposes. Eastern Elk River is in the beginnings of an approximate 1000 home development. See the attached conceptional composed map. The area contains a school named Twin Lakes Elementary that is currently under construction. Adjacent to this school is an area set aside for future well, treatment plant, police and fire station. There is a farm irrigation well on the grade school property(remnants from the previous farm) the school district desires to use for irrigating their lawn and ball fields. This is a Mt Simon Hinkley Well. The well log is attached. The MN unique well number is 664852 and is built to non municipal standards. This existing well is approximately 100 yards from the future municipal well and will be within the DWSMA of the future municipal well. The school district is also in the process of constructing a new well at Lincoln Elementary School at 600 School St., Elk River. The intent is to by pass the municipal water system and use the well for irrigating the school lawns and play area. It is not known if this well under construction will end in the Mt Simon Hinkley formation. This well is at the edge of the DWSMA for our municipal well #3 and may have a detrimental effect on our plans to utilize our municipal well #2 as an aquifer storage and recovery well. The utilization of the existing irrigation well at Twin Lakes Elementary and the well under construction at Lincoln School by the school district will have a negative impact on the municipal water system of Elk River. MN Statute 103I.111 Subd 3 states ".... A political subdivision may not regulate the construction, repair, or sealing of wells...."In other words, local ordinance can not prohibit the construction of water wells; this is reserved to the MN Dept of Health. MN Statute 103G.271 addresses appropriations and use of waters. Subd 2 states ".... A water use permit may not be issued under this section unless it is consistent with state, regional, and local water and related land resources management plans if the regional and local plans are consistent with statewide plans."