(UPDATE 11/5/2013) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report on the Importance of Water to the U.S. Economy (PDF, 37 pp, 2MB). The report highlights water’s importance to our national economic welfare, and summarizes information necessary to understand and manage water resources.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has released their Draft Groundwater Strategic Plan (GWSP) to achieve the goal of sustainable groundwater use. The DNR has announced that a North & East Metro Pilot Groundwater Management Area (including part or all of Anoka County) will be designated an initial Groundwater Management Area for implementation of the strategies established in the draft GWSP. Proposed strategies include:

• Improve information about our groundwater resources;
• reinforce partnerships to provide better support for sustainable groundwater use;
• improve compliance with existing groundwater regulations;
• assure that permits for large water appropriations provide sustainable supplies of groundwater for future generations; and
• concentrate action in areas of high groundwater use and/or limited groundwater supply.

After reviewing the DNR Strategic Plan, the public is invited to comment by taking a survey.