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6228 <br />TO: Mayor and City Council <br />FROM: Mark Bernhardson, City <br />DATE: June 22, 1988 <br />Administrato <br />SUBJECT: Water Conservation Advisory <br />N 77,900fc-'X'r <br />Attachment: A. Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Lake Levels <br />Report as June 19, 1988 <br />B. News Article/Dick Grey - Pioneer Dated 6/9/88 <br />C. City Ordinance Section 3.10 Subd. 6 Water <br />Emergency <br />D. Excerpts - Minnehaha Creek Watershed - Water <br />Resources ManagementPlan - 1987 Chapthr 9 <br />ISSUE - Determination by the Council as to what action, if any, <br />they would desire to take to improve water conservation in the <br />City during this extended period of dry weather. <br />INTRODUCTION - While the City water system that serves <br />principally the Navarre/Shadywood area has not been experiencing <br />high demand levels, the ongoing drought does raise a concern <br />about the adequacy of longterm water supplies. This issue has <br />been requested to be addressed as it relates to lake levels and <br />lake pumping by Councilmember Goetten and as it relates to the <br />aquifers generally by Councilmember Callahan. In addition you <br />may have noted that the Governor has made a request that the <br />Cities in the Metropolitan area, that use water from the <br />Mississippi River, undertake selected conservation methods to not <br />fully draw down the resource. Attachment B is an article <br />addressing current lake levels and how we have reached the <br />present state. <br />DISCUSSION - While water has presently not been been a problem <br />for Orono the substantially dry year last year together with a <br />dry year this year could lead to significant problems, not just <br />from a City well water operation standpoint, but since the City <br />and its residents are utilizing the same or through the same <br />aquifers as are most of the Cities in the western suburbs usage <br />by all may substantially draw it down. As noted in Attachent D <br />these aquifers may in fact have some interface with Lake <br />Minnetonka and also with the Mississippi River. <br />Most regulation of water resources in the suburbs are of the <br />customers of the utility system. This is the case in Orono's <br />regulation as noted in Attachment C. To regulate pumping from <br />the aquifer by private wells and/or the lake may require the City <br />to explore a different approach to the issue whereby excessive <br />sprinkling on the outside may be constituting the waste of a <br />natural resource rather than regulating customer usage. (This is <br />separate from usage for domestic and sanitation purposes.) <br />h <br />