01-08-1990 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY OF ORONO CITY of ORONO Post Office Box 66•Crystal Bay. Minnesota 55323• Municipal Offices On the North Shore of Lake Minnetonka December 21, 19P'^’ Raymond W. Thron Director, Division of Environmental Health Minnesota Department of Health 717 Delaware Street Southeast P.O. Box 9441 Minneapolis, MN 55440 Re: Article 3, 1989 Ground Water ^lotection Legislation Dear Mr. Thron: Having received your memorandum regarding local regulation of wells and borings, I am greatly concerned that after January 1, 1990 the City of Orono will have a drastically reduced authority to control and monitor well drilling activity. We view this as a potential threat to effective land use management in the City. Currently, the City of Orono reauires permits for water well construction and abandonment. Fermj.ts are issued only to state licensed well drillers. The City requires a predrilling site inspection to verify with the driller that isolation distances are met, and more critically, that wells will be located so as to not affect development on adjacent vacant lots by conflicting with approved sewage treatment system sites. The City requires drillers to call in for a test pump inspection, although actual test pump inspections are often waived if the inspector is not available within the time frame requested. The City has required since 1978 that the driller submit a copy of the State Water Well Record to the City upon comoletion of each well. Approximately 80 wells per year are drilled within the City of Orono, virtually all being private residential wells. The rural areas v;ithin the City of Orono are developing at a 2 acre minimum lot size density with wells and septic systems. It is critical that in order for such a development plan to work effectively, well and septic system location and construction must be closely monitored. BLILDING A ZONING - 473-7357 ASSESSING ADMr •- TRATION A FINANCE - 473-7358 FAX - 473-0510 PL BLIC WORKS - 473-7359