Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to manage Minnesota's water resources more effectively by developing tools to understand and plan for water availability across the state. It seeks to facilitate better decision-making regarding the placement of large water users and businesses.

Main Provisions

• Creation of a Water Availability Atlas: The bill allocates funds to create an atlas that will provide detailed information about water availability throughout Minnesota. This tool will use existing data sets to help visualize and quantify water resources.

• Development of Siting Methodology: The bill calls for the development of a methodology to guide state agencies, local governments, and economic development authorities in determining the best locations for large water users and related businesses, ensuring these decisions consider water availability.

• Reporting Requirement: By January 15, 2028, a report comprising the completed water availability atlas and siting methodology must be submitted to the chairs and ranking minority members of relevant legislative committees. These resources should also be made accessible to relevant entities across the state.

Significant Changes

• The bill initiates a comprehensive approach to assessing and planning for water availability, which is a new framework for the state. This includes a focused methodology for siting large-scale water-dependent projects, aiming to avoid overuse of water resources.

Relevant Terms

• Natural resources
• Water availability atlas
• Siting methodology
• Large water users
• Economic development authorities
• Minnesota Geospatial Information Office