Seasons The Greening of Maplewood
Winter 2015
photo: Myra Smisek
Beyond the Faucet
to 100 gallons of water for domestic uses including water for drinking, preparing food, washing clothes and dishes, showering, flushing toilets, watering lawns, and washing cars.
Access to clean water in our area is easy, just turn on the faucet! But when you look beyond the faucet you see a network of conduits, pumps, and treatment facilities that make this possible. In the Twin Cities we have a multitude of water resources including 950 lakes, three major river systems (Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix), and the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer. But there are pressures on our water resources – a growing population, more business and industry, and a changing environment.
In the Twin Cities, 75% of domestic water comes from aquifers (groundwater). The Metropolitan Council’s Master Water Supply Plan predicts that under a business-as-usual scenario, water levels in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer will drop 5 to 20 feet in the metro area by 2030. Some lake levels are being affected by this consumption. Most notable is White Bear Lake where groundwater pumping is contributing to the lowering of the lake. The remaining 25% of domestic water in the Twin Cities comes from surface sources, such as the Mississippi River.
By Shann Finwall, Environmental Planner
The average daily U.S. total water use is 355 billion gallons. Of this, 45% is used for energy production, 33% for irrigation of farmland and recreational areas, and 22% for households and businesses. Coal-fired power plants, which produce almost half of the country’s electricity, use water to extract and wash coal, cool steam, and control pollution from the plant. In western states, the average annual precipitation is typically less than 20 inches. This is insufficient to support crops without supplemental water. Every day each person in the U.S. uses 88
A majority of Maplewood’s households and businesses get their water through St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) whose main source of water comes from the Mississippi River. About 1,000 households and businesses get their water from adjacent cities including North St. Paul, Little Canada, Roseville, and Woodbury. Some of these cities use groundwater as their water source. In addition, there are approximately 200 households that still get their water from private wells.
SPRWS delivers water to residents and businesses in a 122.8 square mile area that includes St. Paul and eleven suburbs, including Maplewood. There are 1,119 miles of water main systems serving 416,879 people with an average daily water use of 45 million gallons. About 80% of the water distributed by SPRWS comes from the Mississippi River, traveling through a chain of lakes, including Charles, Pleasant, Sucker, and Vadnais, before reaching the treatment plant located in Maplewood. Groundwater from ten deep wells provides supplemental water to the system. We can mitigate for future water challenges by changing our land use and water management approach. One way Maplewood is taking action is through our sustainable turf policy, with thoughtful decisions about the use of irrigation in City parks and landscapes (page 3). You can help too by implementing water-saving steps for your water use (page 3). In order to maintain an adequate and clean water supply, we must look beyond the faucet. This is essential for the future of our region’s growth and livability. Resources: St. Paul Regional Water Services, U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, MN Department of Natural Resources, Metropolitan Council
Pressures on our Water Resources
Changes in Climate
Growing Population and Increased Business/Industry
Impacts of Groundwater Pumping
Water Quality