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DNR notice limits new Jordan wells; Rochester to test deeper aquifers and surface-water options
Summary
RPU told the council that DNR has said Rochester cannot build new wells in the Jordan Aquifer until alternative sources are reviewed; the study will test deeper aquifers (Mount Simon, Tunnel City) and surface-water options and model impacts on stream baseflows and sensitive wetlands.
Rochester Public Utilities staff told the city council that Department of Natural Resources guidance effectively halts new Jordan‑aquifer well construction until the city identifies and tests alternatives.
"We are prohibited from constructing new water supply wells in the Jordan until we've reviewed alternative sources," Todd Warmstrom, RPU assistant general manager of maintenance, read from the DNR notification. He said the master plan will evaluate alternatives against three statutory criteria: safe‑yield limits, impacts to surface waters and stream baseflows, and protections for calcareous fens.
Staff outlined alternatives under study: deeper aquifers such as the Mount Simon formation, intermediate aquifers (Wanawak, Tunnel City), upstream reaches of the Zumbro watershed, and — as a distant option — raw water from the Mississippi River. Each option carries tradeoffs in yield, water quality, permitting and treatment requirements; Warmstrom cautioned that some aquifers would need more wells or different treatment technologies.
The groundwater model covers a large study area (roughly Dodge Center to Fountain, about 1,500 square miles), loads municipal and private-well demands, and will use long-term monitoring station data to assess stream baseflow impacts. Staff said results will be available in October and will frame which alternatives the city can responsibly pursue.
