Water Rush

First a gold rush, then an oil rush - is a water rush next? Travel through Minnesota and you’ll notice there is plenty of water around here. The problem is much of it is impaired or at risk from runoff, development, and over usage. Compounding those issues are the climate-related weather chaos that we are experiencing. Too much rain at too much volume in the Spring, followed by too little during the growing season, is a nightmare to manage - stormwater infrastructure and water resource management face challenges in our changing climate.

State, County, and local government agencies have been hard at work to address these impacts and plan for resiliency. Most of Apple Valley resides in the Vermillion River Watershed, which is managed by the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization (VRWJPO). One of AVEA’s members serves on the VRWJPO Planning Commission Advisory Committee and notes that VRWJPO recently released results of the Phase II community engagement session, which are part of a multi-year process that will now move forward to Phase III in 2025. Read the Phase 2 Outreach and Engagement Summary here. After reviewing the priorities, notice what Water Quality, Stormwater Management, Groundwater Supply, and Climate Resilience have in common? Infiltration In Place (IIP). Rain gardens are a common type of Best Management Practice (BMP) for stormwater infiltration - and one that can be replicated in many public and private areas of our city.

And it’s needed - in Apple Valley, our drinking water is supplied by groundwater aquifers that are calculated to be in net decline from over use. Downstream from us in the same watershed is a cherished trout stream, under threat from increasing temperatures, long drought periods, and nutrient runoff. Upstream from us, at the very headwaters of our Vermillion River Watershed, a water bottling company is pumping 24/7 to fill plastic bottles with flavored water to sell to big box stores. Will the trout stream in Lakeville continue to support trout species, and therefore trout fishing, with these usage pressures? Will our drinking water continue to be supplied by our groundwater aquifer, the cleanest and least expensive way to provide water services to a community?

Our City leadership, business community, and Apple Valley residents play important roles in achieving a shared goal of safe and accessible water resources. Rain gardens, native plantings, rain catchment systems, gray water systems, and infrastructure design that incorporates infiltration are important pieces that make up the whole solution. What we do with our landscape matters. If we can make space for green space, green space can make clean water.

Photo courtesy of the City of Burnsville - click to learn more about the rain garden study!