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Lake Elmo growth leads to water issues
The city says it sometimes uses a contaminated well to meet water demand. But blended with clean water and it’s not a threat.
LAKE ELMO, Minn. — The city of Lake Elmo is exploding so much that it’s now the fastest-growing city in Minnesota.
What was a town of about 6,700 in 2005 is now nearing 14,000. Officials predict it could grow past 18,000 by 2030.
“I think people in Lake Elmo are really invested in the community and they want to see it survive and thrive,” said Lake Elmo Mayor Charles Cadenhead.
The population boom is so big that up to 300 homes are built every year and now includes the city’s first apartment complex.
Add in an expected 1,000 new students in the next decade and the school board recently approved a resolution to hold a $175 million bond referendum on November 7, 2023.
And then there’s the water issue.
“Everybody thinks it’s the land of 10,000 lakes, you’ve got a ton of water, right,” said Cadenhead. “Well, not necessarily so.”
The city gets all its water from the ground, but the Department of Natural Resources says it can legally only pump 260 million gallons of it every year. Cadenhead projecting it needs two times that by 2027.
“We are actively trying to make sure we’re good stewards of the resource,” he said.
What’s worse is that some of the water is contaminated with chemicals called PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl. For years, 3M Co. made the chemicals that leaked into underground aquifers after being disposed of.
To meet the water demand, the city says it has to use that contaminated water, but blended with clean water, Cadenhead says it’s not a public threat. He says the city’s two other pumps do not contain PFAS.
“We’re just trying to manage it best with the pumps we have online now,” said Cadenhead. “And we’re trying to make sure we have neighborhoods get hooked up to clean city water; it just makes it a little more difficult in the long run.”
Some solutions include imposing residential water restrictions for now and building a water treatment plant later. The city also applied for grants from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to fund treatment of the water and another line to divert more water from the cleaner pumps.
“We’re tying to be very solution-orientated,” said Cadenhead. “But then it’s our responsibility to make sure it grows in the right way.”
As for the bond request, it would cost taxpayers with a median priced home of $500,000 about $17 per month.
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MADISON, Wis. — Overall enrollment in the Universities of Wisconsin system’s four-year schools ticked upward this fall compared with last year, data released Tuesday shows.
The system released enrollment numbers as of the 10th day of the 2024 fall semester. They show overall enrollment stood at 164,431 students, up 1.2% from the 10th day of the 2023 fall semester.
UW-Green Bay saw 975 new students for a 10.5% increase in enrollment, the largest percentage jump among the 13 four-year schools. Enrollment at UW-Madison, the system’s flagship university, increased nearly 3%. UW-Superior, the most remote campus, in Douglas County in far northwestern Wisconsin, saw a 3.6% increase.
Five schools saw their enrollment shrink, including Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Parkside, Platteville and Stout.
Overall enrollment at the system’s two-year branch campuses fell 22%. The most dramatic drop-off was at UW-Stevens Point’s Marshfield campus, where enrollment plunged nearly 45% compared with fall 2023.
UW officials have blamed declining numbers of high school graduates and more graduates eschewing college for the workforce for faltering enrollment.
An adult male was arrested after the incident.
ANOKA, Minn. — A student was stabbed in the hand at Anoka Technical College Tuesday, authorities said.
A spokesperson with the Anoka Police Department told KARE 11 that officers were dispatched early in the afternoon. At the school, it was learned a student was stabbed in the hand with a screwdriver.
An adult male was taken into custody, officials said. The student was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Anoka Technical College said in a statement that safety and security is the top priority for everyone on campus:
Just before noon today, an incident occurred between two students at Anoka Technical College, in the automotive lab, resulting in one of the students receiving an injury to the hand. The Anoka Police Department responded and took the suspect into custody. The victim was treated by on-campus security officers before going to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
At Anoka Technical College, our top priority is the safety and security of everyone on campus. This incident is being investigated by the college and local law enforcement. Support services are available for students and employees impacted by this situation.
The BCA said the 40-year-old man was still hospitalized at Regions Hospital on Tuesday.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Police have identified the man shot and injured by officers after pointing a gun at police on Monday evening.
According to a press release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Earl Bennett, 40, was shot by police near Allianz Field.
Officials said Bennett does not have a permanent address but has been staying in the Twin Cities Metro area.
Bennett is hospitalized in critical but stable condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
The incident started just before 7:45 p.m. Monday when police were called to the 400 block of Pierce Street for reports of shots fired. Officers found a man with a handgun when they responded to the scene.
St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster told reporters on Monday night that when officers approached the man, he put the gun to his own head. Police began to negotiate with the man for a peaceful surrender, but he reportedly refused to drop the weapon, instead walking south on Snelling Avenue.
Police attempted to use “less lethal” means to subdue Bennett, but when he lifted his handgun and pointed it at police, multiple officers fired their weapons, striking the suspect.
The BCA said it is in the early stages of its investigation.
All the officers who discharged their weapons have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
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