2007 Minnesota Statutes

103G.291 PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY PLANS; 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. Water supply plans; demand reduction. (a) Every public water supplier serving
more than 1,000 people must submit a water supply plan to the commissioner for approval by
January 1, 1996. In accordance with guidelines developed by the commissioner, the plan must
address projected demands, adequacy of the water supply system and planned improvements,
existing and future water sources, natural resource impacts or limitations, emergency
preparedness, water conservation, supply and demand reduction measures, and allocation
priorities that are consistent with section 103G.261. Public water suppliers must update their plan
and, upon notification, submit it to the commissioner for approval every ten years.
    (b) The water supply plan in paragraph (a) is required for all communities in the metropolitan
area, as defined in section 473.121, with a municipal water supply system and is a required
element of the local comprehensive plan required under section 473.859. Water supply plans or
updates submitted after December 31, 2008, must be consistent with the metropolitan area master
water supply plan required under section 473.1565, subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (2).
    (c) 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.
    (d) 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 .
    (e) 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; 2007 c 131 art 1 s 57