Feasibility Study of Joint Water Utility – Cities of Centerville, Circle Pines, Columbus, Hugo, Lexington and Lino Lakes
The State Fiscal Year 2014-2015 Clean Water Fund appropriation identified the northeast metro as an area where potential solutions are needed to address emerging water supply issues. Three projects are underway to identify the advantages and disadvantages of combining water supply systems, using new water supply sources such as treated water from Saint Paul Regional Water Services or raw water from the Mississippi or St. Croix rivers, and optimizing groundwater pumping to protect water levels in White Bear Lake and other lakes across the northeast metro.
This project, led by the Council in conjunction with Barr Engineering Company, Inc. consultants, will evaluate the financial implications of combining certain components of municipal water supply and distribution systems in the cities of Centerville, Circle Pines, Columbus, Hugo, Lexington and Lino Lakes. Two scenarios will be considered. One includes a system where a new entity would own and operate a combined supply, storage and treatment system with the individual cities owning the distribution systems within their own borders. The second is a fully integrated system where the combined entity owns and operates all potable water related infrastructure. Together, the cities cover an area of approximately 100 square miles and have a current combined population of approximately 50,000 people, or 17,000 households. A substantial amount of land in the combined cities is undeveloped, and the population is expected to grow substantially in the next few decades.
The preliminary feasibility report will identify the advantages and disadvantages of combining systems, how a collaborative effort might be managed, and, in a preliminary way, what the financial impacts to each city may be. The feasibility study will look at the effects of collaborative efforts for the current water systems and a future scenario for the year 2040.
(c) $1,000,000 the first year and $1,000,000 the second year are for metropolitan regional groundwater planning to achieve water supply reliability and sustainability, including determination of a sustainable regional balance of surface water and groundwater, a feasibility assessment of potential solutions to rebalance regional water use and identify potential solutions to address emerging subregional water supply issues such as the northeast metro, and development of an implementation plan that addresses regional targets and timelines and defines short- and medium-term milestones for achieving the desirable surface water and groundwater regional balance. By January 15, 2014, the commissioner shall submit an interim report on the expenditure of this appropriation to the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate committees and divisions with jurisdiction over environment and natural resources finance and policy and the clean water fund.
Outcomes will be reported at project completion.
(c) $1,000,000 the first year and $1,000,000 the second year are for metropolitan regional groundwater planning to achieve water supply reliability and sustainability, including determination of a sustainable regional balance of surface water and groundwater, a feasibility assessment of potential solutions to rebalance regional water use and identify potential solutions to address emerging subregional water supply issues such as the northeast metro, and development of an
implementation plan that addresses regional targets and timelines and defines short- and medium-term milestones for achieving the desirable surface water and groundwater regional balance. By January 15, 2014, the commissioner shall submit an interim report on the expenditure of this appropriation to the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate
committees and divisions with jurisdiction over environment and natural resources finance and policy and the clean water fund.
See 2014 Fiscal Year Proposed Measureable Outcomes.
Final outcomes to be reported at project completion.
(c) $1,000,000 the first year and $1,000,000 the second year are for metropolitan regional groundwater planning to achieve water supply reliability and sustainability, including determination of a sustainable regional balance of surface water and groundwater, a feasibility assessment of potential solutions to rebalance regional water use and identify potential solutions to address emerging subregional water supply issues such as the northeast metro, and development of an
implementation plan that addresses regional targets and timelines and defines short- and medium-term milestones for achieving the desirable surface water and groundwater regional balance. By January 15, 2014, the commissioner shall submit an interim report on the expenditure of this appropriation to the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate
committees and divisions with jurisdiction over environment and natural resources finance and policy and the clean water fund.
See 2014 Fiscal Year Proposed Measureable Outcomes.
DELIVERABLES
• An assessment of infrastructure costs and other challenges to the implementation of alternative water supply systems, along with regional benefits
• Identification of cost-sharing or financing structures that would promote financial equity within a proposed sub-regional water system
OUTCOMES
• The feasibility of potential solutions to rebalance regional water use is assessed
• Improved understanding of the challenges and benefits of water supply collaboration among metropolitan area communities