Laserfiche WebLink
Elk River _ - <br />Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING <br />TO: <br />FROM: <br />ERMU Commission <br />Mark Hanson — General Manager <br />MEETING DATE: <br />AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: <br />May 14, 2024 <br />4.4 <br />SUBJECT: <br />Utility Line Extensions in Urban Services Area <br />ACTION REQUESTED: <br />Commission direction on maintaining the "both or neither" practice of extending water and <br />sewer utility lines to new developments. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />It has been a longstanding practice for the City of Elk River (City) and Elk River Municipal <br />Utilities (ERMU) to only extend water and sewer utilities to new developments if both services <br />can be provided. In practice, if either service could not be provided, regardless of reason (cost, <br />elevation, distance, etc.) then neither service would be provided. The practice was most <br />recently reviewed in a combined City Council/ERMU Commission meeting in January 2023. The <br />outcome of the discussion was to continue the practice of only providing sewer and water <br />services if both services could be extended. <br />The discussion at the combined meeting focused on a proposed 500-unit development by <br />Capstone Homes in the far northwest corner of the proposed expanded urban services area. <br />Due to the existence of a nearby sanitary force main, the city was able to provide sanitary <br />sewer service to the proposed development, but the site would have required the construction <br />of approximately five miles of new trunk water main. A five -mile trunk line with no other users <br />creates significant safety and financial risks, so ERMU informed the developer it was not able to <br />extend the trunk line. Since water service could not be provided, the City Council and ERMU <br />Commission decided against providing the sanitary service. Upon hearing this decision, <br />Capstone Homes decided against pursuing the development. <br />DISCUSSION: <br />Recently, another developer, Twin Cities Land Development (TCLD), has expressed interest in <br />the same site. TCLD has proposed a 105-unit development with lot sizes ranging from <br />approximately one to eight (1-8) acres. Unlike the Capstone proposal, the larger lot sizes of the <br />TCLD proposal allow for individual (private) water and sewer systems. Although the lots are <br />sized to permit the installation of septic systems, TCLD has requested a hybrid system where <br />water service is provided by private well, but sanitary service is provided by the City's sanitary <br />sewer system (see attached TCLD concept plan and overlay). <br />Page 1 of 2 <br />140 <br />