Facing water shortages, Minnesota proposes fee hike to study supplies

[NickB79]

http://www.startribune.com/local/200540991.html

Gov. Mark Dayton is proposing an increase in state water fees that would raise millions of dollars to help the Department of Natural Resources analyze groundwater supplies at a time when the Land of 10,000 Lakes faces potential water shortages.

Water use has risen sharply in recent years, driven by urban use as well as rural industry and irrigation, and state officials say they haven’t had the money to analyze how the activity is affecting thousands of underground aquifers that are critical to the state’s water supply. Some systems they have studied over time have seen levels dropping year after year in trends that are unsustainable.

snip

Last year, White Bear Lake sued the DNR over the lake’s diminished water level, blaming it on agency approval that allowed surrounding communities to draw more water from the aquifer below the lake.

The lake that supplies the city of Fairmont with water dropped to such low levels last fall that city officials eliminated nonessential use. In Worthington, the city’s water supply was so low that wells were nearly going dry.

White Bear Lake is a major lake in the Twin Cities metro area. It's precipitous drop over the past few years has been big news here.

Guess our 10,000 lakes aren't as limitless as we thought they were

[Downwinder]

1. Better watch out, Los Angeles will take the water, too.