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Cilv of ORfXNO <br />RESOLUTION OE THE CITY COUNCIL <br />NO. <br />12. The City tHujinocr contacted Roman Kanavetskl, Minnesota^ <br />Geological Survey, Gil Gabanski, Twin City Testing and M. <br />Schoenberg, U.S. Geological Survey regarding concern for the <br />depletion of the Prairie Du Choin/Jordan acquifer by random <br />application of geothermal heating/cooling systems. Their <br />comments wore summarized by Mike Lynch as follows: <br />"These e:cperts indicate that one home pumping an average of <br />30 gpm of flow from the Prairie Du Chein/Jordan acquifer or <br />even 100 such homos will have essentially no effect upon the <br />acquifer. There is some concern amongst exports and <br />regulating agencies that a concentration of **big users" may <br />be causing a fluctuation of the groundwater level within the <br />acquifer. One such example is the City of St. Paul water <br />system. This system has caused a noticeable fluctuation in <br />the level of the acquifer <lue to an immense quantity of <br />groundwater withdrawal from a relatively small area. On the <br />other hand, Townsquare in St. Paul has a geothermal system <br />that pumps at a rate of 1200 gpm without regional depletion <br />of the acquifer. The usage of the acquifer is currently <br />being regulated by the DNR and the Health Department. <br />The popularity of geothermal heating systems for residential <br />properties has been dying out the past couple of years as <br />there is no longer an energy credit for their use and the <br />placement of such a system is generally not cost-effective. <br />13. The discharge pipe for the geothermal system will enter the <br />lake within a protected lagoon area below the lake level at a <br />924.6 elevation. <br />14. There will be no navigational hazards created for the users <br />of Lake Minnetonka because the discharge pipe will not extend <br />into the main lake area. <br />15. Neither the velocity of the discharge nor the temperature of <br />water discharged will have any de-icing effect on the main lake. <br />16. The proposed geothermal system is defined as a closed system <br />requiring no additives, conditioners or other chemicals. The <br />quality of the water to bo discharged into the lake will not pose <br />a pollution hazard. <br />17. Dr. Richard Hanson of the Fresh Water Diological Institute <br />has voiced major concern with the uncontrolled, intense, multiple <br />uses of our groundwater reserves and strongly recommends that a <br />national policy be formulated providing standards for groundwater <br />uses to assure that we are not creating an irreversible crisis. <br />In his letter of September 15, 1986, he noted that ho "found it <br />difficult for one city to have a major impact on this issue". <br />Page 3 of 6 I