2024 Dakota County Well Seal Program
In Dakota County, groundwater supplies more than 90 percent of the drinking water. In order to protect Dakota County's primary drinking water source, this project proposes to support the County well seal grant cost-share program. The project will provide up-to 50 percent cost-share funding to reimburse landowners for the sealing of unused wells. The goal is to permanently seal between 30-40 unused/abandoned wells throughout the county. Unsealed water supply wells that are not in use pose a threat to health, safety, and the environment by providing a potential conduit for contamination to go from the surface down to drinking water aquifers. In addition, Minnesota Statute 103I requires well owners to seal unused wells. Staff conduct well inventories to identify suspected unused wells and send communication letters to landowners outlining State regulations and encouraging the proper sealing of wells. To reduce risk to municipal drinking water supplies, the project will target suspected unused, unsealed wells within Drinking Water Supply Management Areas (DWSMAs) first and prioritize applicants within DWSMAs.
Annie Felix-Gerth
(b) $8,500,000 the first year and $8,500,000 the second year are for grants to local government units to protect and restore surface water and drinking water; to keep water on the land; to protect, enhance, and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams; and to protect groundwater and drinking water, including feedlot water quality and subsurface sewage treatment system projects and stream bank, stream channel, shoreline restoration, and ravine stabilization projects. The projects must use practices demonstrated to be effective, be of long-lasting public benefit, include a match, and be consistent with total maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation plans, watershed restoration and protection strategies (WRAPS), or local water management plans or their equivalents. Up to 20 percent of this appropriation is available for land-treatment projects and practices that benefit drinking water.
Identify unused/abandoned wells through well inventories, and prevent groundwater contamination by sealing between 30-40 unused/abandoned wells throughout Dakota County.
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS