Dakota County strengthens water regulations against bulk exportations

Dakota County has taken action to strengthen its water regulations after a company requested to export 500 million gallons per year to the southwest U.S., where water is scarcer.

Valerie Grover, Dakota County’s groundwater protection supervisor, said at a Board of Commissioners hearing on Tuesday that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was able to deny a 2019 request because state law prevents the DNR from exporting water from the Mount Simon-Hinckley aquifer unless it’s needed for drinking water and there are no alternatives. However, Grover added that the DNR may not be able to block future requests, and it’s unclear if a current bill in the state Legislature will pass.

That prompted the commissioners to set a threshold of 50 million gallons of water per year for commercial and institutional water usage in the county. Grover noted the University of Minnesota uses the most commercial/institutional water in the county, at around 36 million gallons per year, so the ordinance shouldn’t affect any current or future businesses.

They also approved an amendment for the county to protect high-quality water for priority usage and aims to prevent high-volume nonessential water use to limit multi-aquifer mixing of contaminated groundwater.

More than 90 percent of county residents use groundwater as drinking water, according to the county administration.

The DNR and Minnesota Department of Health both reviewed the ordinances and neither raised any concerns with it, Grover said Tuesday.

The board passed the amendments, 7-0.

Tuesday’s hearing can be viewed here.