The Water Underground- Stretching Supplies

Document
Description
It is easy for Minnesotans to pat ourselves on the back while shaking our heads at the short-sighted depletion of aquifers that plague various regions of the world. Groundwater supplies that could have lasted centuries have been drained. As these areas are forced — there is no better word than this — to grapple with enormous costs and disruption, we ought to remember that if not for far-sighted capital investments in the Mississippi River reservoirs, Minneapolis-St. Paul water systems, and clever policy work, we would not be as well-positioned as we are with our long-term water supply. Yet patting ourselves on the back isn't warranted, since most of these investments in protecting our water supplies were made a generation ago or more. The work of far-sighted individuals has resulted in a long-term water supply that looks pretty attractive to industries looking to relocate. How can the current generation grow industry and ensure we maintain a long-term groundwater supply? That is the question this report aims to answer. Communities in arid areas have demonstrably reduced water use but it takes time and an all-hands-on-deck attitude to change social norms. We can start with practices that have worked elsewhere and have not yet become established in Minnesota. In this report we recommend ways to stretch our supplies until changes in behaviors become the new norm. We do this in three chapters. 1. We briefly review a few of the proven municipal strategies for using less water. Water suppliers generally have the technical knowledge of how to do this; political will and community outreach capacity appear to be the limiting factors. We need strategies to overcome these. This is a job for cities. 2. Then we explore how water we pump up from an aquifer can be used multiple times before it is discharged to a river. State agencies have been doing their part by (slowly) wrestling with relaxing constraints to this practice and should kick out a report this June. 3. Lastly, we examine enhanced recharge techniques that can speed the natural recharge of aquifers. Barely talked about in Minnesota to date, state review of constraints and scientific findings should be put on the clock by the legislature so the 2019 legislature can start doing their part to stretch supplies.
Date Issued
2017-02
Number of Pages
32
Decade
Associated Organization
Publisher
Minnesota Freshwater Society (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Rights Holder
Minnesota Water Research Digital Library
Rights Management
Creative Commons