2006 Minnesota Statutes

103G.291 PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY APPROPRIATION DURING DEFICIENCY.
    Subdivision 1. Declaration and conservation. (a) If the governor determines and declares
by executive order that there is a critical water deficiency, public water supply authorities
appropriating water must adopt and enforce water conservation restrictions within their
jurisdiction that are consistent with rules adopted by the commissioner.
(b) The restrictions must limit lawn sprinkling, vehicle washing, golf course and park
irrigation, and other nonessential uses, and have appropriate penalties for failure to comply
with the restrictions.
    Subd. 2. Modification of appropriation for noncompliance. Disregard of critical water
deficiency orders, even though total appropriation remains less than that permitted, is adequate
grounds for immediate modification of a public water supply authority's water use permit.
    Subd. 3. Emergency plans; demand reduction. (a) Every public water supplier serving
more than 1,000 people must submit an emergency and conservation plan to the commissioner
for approval by January 1, 1996. The plan must address supply and demand reduction measures
and allocation priorities and must identify alternative sources of water for use in an emergency.
Public water suppliers must update the plan and submit it to the commissioner for approval
every ten years.
(b) Public water suppliers serving more than 1,000 people must employ water use demand
reduction measures before requesting approval from the commissioner of health under section
144.383, paragraph (a), to construct a public water supply well or requesting an increase in
the authorized volume of appropriation. Demand reduction measures must include evaluation
of conservation rate structures and a public education program that may include a toilet and
showerhead retrofit program.
(c) Public water suppliers serving more than 1,000 people must submit records that
indicate the number of connections and amount of use by customer category and volume of
water unaccounted for with the annual report of water use required under section 103G.281,
subdivision 3 .
(d) For the purposes of this subdivision, "public water supplier" means an entity that owns,
manages, or operates a public water supply, as defined in section 144.382, subdivision 4.
History: 1990 c 391 art 7 s 31; 1993 c 186 s 6