5.3. SR 08-18-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~~ aty or Elk -~-~ River REQUEST FOR ACTION To Item Number City Council Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by Au ust 14, 2008 B an Adams Elk River Utilities Item Description Reviewed by Black Dirt Ordinance Reviewed by Action Requested Elk River Municipal Utilities recommends City Council adopt the attached black dirt ordinance to foster water conservation. Background/Discussion As Elk River continues to grow, so does the demand for water.. The attached Chart #1 reflects Elk River's past and future growth trends on a daily and annual basis. Our past annual growth trend has been in the 7% range or a new water production facility every 3 years. We currently have 8 water production facilities and 4 water towers on our system of which 5 wells and 1 water tower could be taken off line in the winter months because they are only needed to support sprinkling requirements. All of our facilities utilize the Mt. Simon Hinkley aquifer. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently increased our ground water appropriation to 1.6 billion gallons per year and 5 additional wells. This increase should satisfy our growth needs for the next 10 years.. This increase in water appropriations is also contingent on continuing our water conservation efforts which is the subject of this memo. Chart #2 reflects the maximum daily and monthly water pumpage for years 2006 and 2007. Elk River's domestic water need is in the 38 million gallons per month range or 1.26 million gallons per day. This is approximately what the waste water plant processes daily. In the non winter months, water demand drastically increases to 160 million gallons per month or 7 million gallons per day. This increase is due to lawn irrigation. On an annual basis, lawn irrigation accounts for approximately 45% of our water use. Is this a good use of a limited resource? The attached two articles from the September 16, 2007 Star Tribune titled "Battling Tainted Water" and "The Pollution That Lies Beneath" very accurately explains the water situation in the metro area. Elk River uses the Mt. Simon Hinkley aquifer as a sole source water supply. As other metro communities seek a better water supply, the Mt. Simon Hinkley aquifer will receive more withdraws in the future and has the potential to affect us. The DNR requires us to implement water conservation programs. We have a social obligation to use our natural resources wisely. As we are experiencing global warming, the change in weather patterns will increase demand for S:\GM Documents\Black Dirt Ordinance Requested.doc