Capital Investment Committee hears dozens of water and wastewater bonding requests from Minnesota cities and districts

Capital Investment Committee members heard more than a dozen requests on March 11 for state bonding to repair or expand drinking-water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure across Minnesota.

The informational hearing focused on projects that proponents say address public-health risks, regulatory compliance and failing on-site septic systems — from the city of Lafayette’s request for $1.893 million for a reverse-osmosis system to Brooklyn Park’s $12 million request to build a water tower to serve a planned Biotech Innovation District.

Committee context: The committee received short, five-minute presentations from municipal officials, joint powers boards, county representatives and townships. Most presenters described either contaminants (manganese, radium, chloride, nutrients and emerging contaminants), failing septic systems, or aging treatment and collection assets that they say local ratepayers cannot fully cover.

Key requests and details:

- East Bethel (House Bill 1904): Matt Look, city administrator for East Bethel, asked for $10.5 million in bonding to build water lines, a well tower and a water treatment plant after local wells showed tannins, radium, manganese and volatile organic compounds. "The wells in East Bethel have produced high levels of tannins, radium, manganese, and volatile organic compounds ... the schools reached out to the city," Look said, urging state help because the city lacks capacity for more local debt.

- Rush Lake / Shorewood Park Sanitary Sewer District (Chisago County): Becky Myers, representing the Shorewood Park Sanitary Sewer District, asked for $600,000 in state support (down from an original $2.2 million ask after federal funds were secured) to extend sewer around Rush Lake. The project is number 57 on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency project priority list; presenters said many septic systems in the annexed area have been tagged as failing.

- Northern Township / Lake Bemidji (Beltrami County, House file 1528): Chris Lane, administrator for Northern Township, described a $20 million total project (with $6 million federal funds and $1 million committed locally) and requested $14 million in state bonding to serve the northern Lake Bemidji shoreline and protect headwaters of the Mississippi River. Lane said coordinating wastewater installation with planned County Road 20 renovations in 2026 would avoid redundant work and lower costs.

- Joint Powers Water (Albertville/Hanover/St. Michael, House file…