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Northeast Metro water-study bill laid over as cities, DNR and Met Council discuss aquifer stress and PFAS
Summary
House File 2861, seeking funds to continue a multi‑jurisdictional study of water levels in the White Bear Lake/Northeast metro area, was laid over; sponsors said the work will analyze causes of low lake levels and possible regional solutions, including surface water, reuse and large infrastructure investments.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The committee laid over House File 2861, a bill to continue study and planning work on water levels in the northeast Twin Cities metropolitan area, after lawmakers and agency officials described broad regional impacts and the need for coordinated solutions.
Representative Benson Curran, the bill sponsor, said the measure builds on bipartisan work passed last biennium after a pronounced decline in White Bear Lake’s water level led to lawsuits and permit moratoria that constrained development in nearby Lake Elmo. The appropriation would fund stakeholders including the Metropolitan Council, cities and the Department of Natural Resources to complete studies and plan responses across the watershed.
Committee members and witnesses described complex, overlapping issues in the region: some communities rely on groundwater, others on surface water or blends; parts of the aquifer are stressed and some areas have documented PFAS contamination. Representative Curran and Co‑Chair Fisher said the Met Council is positioned to facilitate cross‑jurisdictional planning because it has technical staff able to model costs and chemistry changes when different supplies are combined.
Representatives and DNR staff said the study must determine whether the prior low lake levels were the result of over‑pumping by water users, natural variability, or a combination. Curran warned that a regional infrastructure fix could be expensive: he cited prior Met Council estimates that full remediation across the area could cost up to $500 million.
Members questioned the choice of the Met Council as the grant recipient. Witnesses said the Met Council’s planning role and technical capacity — including modeling of mixing different water sources and protecting drinking‑water chemistry — are reasons for involving the council as a facilitator. DNR staff said the department retains permitting authority and must ensure sustainable appropriations across the region.
House File 2861 was laid over for possible inclusion in future omnibus legislation. Sponsors said local government input would remain central to any solutions and that additional funding or alternate funds could be explored if the general‑fund appropriation is not available.
