Understanding Sustainability at the State Level

1. Understanding Sustainability at the State Level John R. Wells Minnesota Environmental Quality Board Allocating Water: Economics and the Environment July 22, 2004

2. Sustainable development is … • Thinking & acting as if the long-term future mattered • Recognizing how things connect • Living within our means • Taking creative approaches to issues

3. The Governor’s Vision • Keep Minnesota’s waters clean • Ensure communities have safe water • Keep an accurate picture • Restore the casualties of society’s great progress • Develop effective leadership on water

4. Reduce flood damage to cropland Enhance recharge of groundwater serving Moorhead’s water supply needs Reduce sediment loading to the South Branch of Buffalo River Protect waters from future threats Focus and alignment on priorities Restore waters that are impaired Use a watershed approach Monitor watersheds to provide clear/timely picture of status Apply individualized solutions Create institutional framework for regional coordination of drinking water supplies Cooperation is essential Ensure adequate and sustainable supplies of clean water Identify and promote water supply choices for Metro area --- ensuring sustainable drinking water Keep working lands working Effective Executive Branch water resource leadership July 1, 2004 Clean Water Cabinet Vision Guiding Principles Goals Action Areas Projects Reduce flood damage to cropland and structures Grand Marais Flood Reduction Enhance fish and wildlife habitat Reduce sediment loading to Red River of the North Red River Valley The Governor’s Clean Water Initiative Manston Slough Flood Control Central Minnesota Lakes Area Five county lakes area coordination Coordinate lake management Revise shoreland rule Reduce phosphorus loadings from Lambert Creek and phosphorus concentrations in Vadnais Lake Lambert Lake Wetland Restoration Provide effective tools and incentives to protect WQ and sensitive natural resources Reduce levels of harmful bacteria Metro Mississippi River Twin Cities Sub-Regional Water Supply Plan Demonstrate the value of regional water supply planning and coordination; providing an inter-connected system Reduce sediment loading to rivers and streams Southeast Minnesota South Branch, Root River Coordinate/target deliver of farm programs to cost effectively remediate pollution sources Reduce harmful bacteria and other pathogens entering rivers and streams to acceptable levels Executive Policies and Processes Align budget related processes and priorities with Governor’s Clean Water Vision

5. Water & sustainability • Growth & water • Jobs • Budget priorities

6. Projected population growth By 2010 Rates (%) • White … -8 to 0 • Gray … 0 to 5 • Black … 5 to 13 • Blue … 13-37

7. Aquifers Limited in Minnesota’s Growth Corridor

8. A framework for decisions • Convene corridor stakeholders • Identify trends, plans and goals and develop growth scenarios • Understand long-term regional implications of water and land use • Bring people together to change local and state policy

9. Job Opportunity Building Zones To stimulate economic development activity in rural Minnesota by providing local and state tax exemptions

13. Rochester Water Supply Area Decorah Edge Rochester Water Supply Recharge Area Karst

14. Developments on the Decorah Edge Assissi Heights NorthernHeights Country Club Manor. PillHill Follwell Heights RoseHarbor. GoldenHill Willow Heights

15. Decorah Shale Groundwater Flow Direction Northern Hills Court

16. Water Being Pumped To The Storm Sewer From The Basement Of A Home Located On The Decorah Edge

17. Goals of a Decorah EdgeRecharge Area Ordinance • Preserve the intact recharge areas • Improve recharge quality and quantity

18. 10 Year Water GapsBy Resource($ Millions)

19. Funding-related principles • No new General Fund expenditures without savings • Each agency must find savings, but the cabinet will act collectively • New fee revenues may be proposed when the fee would: • Ask polluters and resource users to pay for the benefits they receive • Not place an undue burden on those who would pay the fee • No new taxes

20. Sustainable development is … • Thinking & acting as if the long-term future mattered • Recognizing how things connect • Living within our means • Taking creative approaches to issues

21. National Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable Understanding if we’re on the right track

22. The General Systems Perspective Biosphere Economic System “Natural Systems” Social System

23. Community Water Supply Example of the Systems Perspective Biosphere Economic System Hydrologic and Climatologic Systems Economic Systems For Water Supply Social Systems For Managing Water Supply Social System

24. Indicators Measurements SWRR Process for Identifying Criteria and Indicators Information Concepts Systems Concepts Identify Valued Forms of Capital Criteria Identify Components of Capital And Processes Affecting Them Identify Measurable Phenomena

25. Possible Types of Indicators Goal: Sustainability of Water Resources Criterion Criterion Criterion Criterion Criterion Stressors & Investments Underlying Processes Capital Outputs Indicators Effects

26. Targets for Indicators Ex 1 Goal: Sustainability of Water Resources Criterion Criterion Criterion Adequate Water Supply Precipitation, Evaporation & Runoff Pollutants & Facility Construction Capacity for Water Supply Delivered Water Indicators Human Health, Income

27. A Criteria & Indicators Model Goal Sustainability of Water Resources Ecological System Social System Economic System Category System Condition or Capacity Criteria Indicator Category Quality & Quantity Human Health Hazards Processes Outputs Indicator Human Effects Ecosystem Effects

28. Ecological System Capacity to make water of appropriate quality and quantity available to support ecosystems Integrity of ecosystems

29. Social System Social well being resulting from the use of water resources Social well being resulting from the use of water-related ecological resources Legal, institutional, community and technical capacities for the management of water and related land resources for sustainability

30. Economic System • Capacity to make water of appropriate quality and quantity available for human uses • Economic well being resulting from use of water and related land resources • Economic well being resulting from the use of water-related ecological resources

31. Draft Factors For identifying, organizing, evaluating and choosing “Appropriate Indicators” • Defining the state of things • Relevance • Appropriate time horizon and scale • Indicator integrity • Understandability

32. SWRR goals on sustainability of the nation’s waters • Develop criteria and indicators to track national water sustainability • Identify research collaboration opportunities • Collaborate in development of a 2005 report on water sustainability

33. Lessons Learned • Think long term • Provide a process for developing a common language and understanding • Align economic and policy signals with sustainable behavior • Measure progress & make mid-course corrections

34. Web Sites • www.eqb.state.mn.us/SDI/ • www.eqb.state.mn.us/water/ • www.nextstep.state.mn.us • http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/swrr/

35. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, that’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Meade