Golden Valley Water Provider Could Add Wells to River Supplies

Golden Valley residents could soon start using aquifers in addition to the Mississippi River for their water supplies, according to MinnPost.

Minneapolis, from whom Golden Valley buys its water, is considering digging 30 wells to serve as a backup water source.

In the past, the city and its customers—including Columbia Heights, Crystal, Hilltop and New Hope—have relied exclusively on surface water.

Surface water sources like the Mississippi are more sustainable than groundwater sources. The Metropolitan Council is warning about the increasing use of groundwater across the metro that is depleting aquifers and drying up lakes, streams and wetlands.

Until the late 1970s, the seven-county region relied primarily on the Mississippi for its water needs. But today, about 70 percent of the metro relies on municipal and private wells that pump groundwater. Just 16 of the region’s 186 communities rely on the Mississippi.

Yet surface water also costs more to produce.

Minneapolis Public Works Director Steve Kotke told Minneapolis council members Thursday that “it is prudent to construct an alternate source to allow us to overcome potential natural and man-made disasters,” MinnPost reported.

Minneapolis could dig three wells a year for the next 10 years.

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