Groundwater: Plan to Develop a Groundwater Level Monitoring Network for the 11-County Metropolitan Area

This report is produced in response to Minnesota Session Laws 2009 Chapter 37 Section 4 Subd. 3., which reads in part: By October 1, 2009, the commissioner shall develop a plan for the development of an adequate groundwater level monitoring network of wells in the 11-county metropolitan area. The commissioner, working with the Metropolitan Council, the Department of Homeland Security, and the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency, shall design the network so that the wells can be used to identify threats to groundwater quality and institute practices to protect the groundwater from degradation. The network must be sufficient to ensure that water use in the metropolitan area does not harm ecosystems, degrade water quality, or compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The plan should include recommendations on the necessary payment rates for users of the system expressed in cents per gallon for well drilling, operation, and maintenance.