Kare11
Report says city of Blaine pumped nearly 50 private wells dry
The Minnesota DNR says the agency and the city of Blaine will work with impacted well owners on a settlement.
BLAINE, Minn. — An investigation by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found the city of Blaine is responsible for “interfering” with dozens of private wells during the drought-ridden summer of 2022, causing them to go dry.
In a news release announcing the findings, the DNR explained that well interference occurs when a pump draws groundwater from a well (typically a deep well of a higher volume water user, like a city), causing water levels in the surrounding aquifer to go down. The result is a lack of water available to shallower wells, such as those owned by a private homeowner.
The DNR investigation revealed that 50 complaints were filed during the summer of 2022 by private well owners stating that their water supplies had been tapped out. Of those complaints, 47 were sustained. Investigators learned at the time residents began reporting problems, three of the wells the city of Blaine was operating were unpermitted. The city stopped pumping from those three wells after the DNR informed them that the wells were not authorized for use.
Irrigation wells operated by two local golf courses were also found to be minor contributors to interference with one private well.
Bruce Zakseski, who lives in southern Ham Lake near the border with Blaine, did not personally lose water from his private his well last summer. However, he said he knows plenty of people who did.
“Three of my neighbors, they basically ran out of water. Couldn’t wash clothes, run the sprinklers, nothing. Their yards basically dried up until they could get someone to come out and fix it,” Zakseski said. “Everybody you talked to, it was, ‘Did you have problems with your water? Did you have problems with your well?'”
DNR experts say groundwater aquifers in the Blaine and Ham Lake area are strongly interconnected. Pumping large volumes of water from one part of the aquifer can cause water levels to drop several miles away.
“Like many growing communities, the city of Blaine has been seeking to expand water supply sources to meet the increased water demands of its community,” said DNR Conservation Assistance and Regulation Section Manager Randall Doneen. “Expansion of water supplies is difficult and complex, especially when a growing community has many neighboring private domestic wells.”
“The city has been anticipating the completion of this DNR investigation and is ready to continue to work with private well owners to mitigate impacts that are determined to be related to the city’s growing water infrastructure,” said Blaine city spokesperson Ben Hayle. “Blaine is committed to responsibly providing high-quality water service to our growing municipal customer base while also protecting private well owners.”
Dan Schluender, the director of engineering for the city of Blaine, told KARE 11 in an interview that miscommunication in the permitting process led the city to temporarily operate three unpermitted wells.
According to Schluender, when the city began developing a new well field in 2017, the city thought it applied for a permit covering four wells.
“As it turns out, only one of those four wells was listed on the appropriations permit,” Schluender said. “So, the city inadvertently starting using the four wells and then interference complaints started to come in. The DNR and the city had discussions that, ‘yes, in fact the wells were on.’ They asked us to shut those wells off, as they were not listed in the permit, and the city complied with that. And they’ve been off since that notification.”
Going forward, the next step is to begin a well interference settlement process. Over the next 30 days, the DNR will assist the city of Blaine, the two golf courses involved and the private well owners in negotiating financial settlements for the cost of restoring residential water supplies.
“The message is, the city is going to do the right thing,” Schluender said. “We know there was interference. We know why there was interference.”
An additional 24 complaints remain under investigation by the DNR. The agency is encouraging anyone who owns a private well in the Blaine/Ham Lake area and has had water supply problems they believe are due to high-capacity pumping to call 651-259-5034.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11’s newscasts. You’ll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey questioned the legality of the new measure while issuing his veto on Wednesday.
MINNEAPOLIS — The City of Minneapolis will move ahead with new carbon fees after a contentious back and forth at City Hall concluded with the council overriding the mayor’s veto.
The new fees, which target carbon emissions from city businesses, will be implemented on July 1, 2025, according to the council.
Minneapolis already has a pollution fee system, known as the Pollution Control Annual Registration or PCAR. The fees go into the city’s Green Cost Share program, helping pay the costs companies incur bringing down their emissions.
The current PCAR system covers emissions of other air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds, heavy particulates, and sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, lead, and carbon monoxide. Companies are required to report their emissions levels to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which, in turn, charges fees of $100 per ton.
The City Council voted Oct. 2 to add carbon dioxide to the list. The resolution seeks to impose a $452 per ton fee for carbon dioxide.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey questioned the legality of the new measure while issuing his veto on Wednesday.
“I am all on board for PCAR fees—but it’s time the Council stops playing games and follows the processes in place to enact lasting change,” said Mayor Jacob Frey, in a statement to KARE.
Before his veto was overridden, Frey had told KARE that if the measure were to move forward, companies hit with the fees would likely sue the city and win.
Council Member Robin Wonsley, who co-authored the measure, took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to Frey’s veto on Wednesday night.
Wisconsin law enforcement said Katrina Baur, and her partner, Jesse Vang, are facing charges in connection with 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s death, including obstruction.
TWO RIVERS, Wis. — About a month after 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s remains were recovered from a private property in Wisconsin, state authorities announced Thursday that charges have been filed against the boy’s mother and her partner.
Wisconsin law enforcement said Katrina Baur, and her partner, Jesse Vang, are facing charges in connection with 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s death, including obstruction.
Vue went missing in February and it wasn’t until September that his body was recovered and identified.
Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier told families in a letter that a rash of injuries has reduced the roster to the point that playing is a “safety issue.”
WADENA, Minn. — A central Minnesota high school is pulling the plug on the remainder of its varsity football season, saying continuing to play would not be “safe or realistic.”
Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier sent a letter home to families earlier in the week, explaining the decision to skip the Wolverines’ final game and subsequent district playoffs. Petermeier said injuries began piling up as the club reached midseason, and roster numbers hit a dangerous low following Wadena-Deer Creek’s game in week 7.
Heading into the final regular season game against Staples-Motley, Wadena-Deer Creek had just eight healthy players from 10th to 12th grade. At that point, the coach said, a difficult but necessary decision had to be made in the interest of safety.
“We are in a position now where we would have to trot out a majority of our team that is 14 and 15 years old, and that is not in the best interest of our kids,” coach Petermeier explained. “To us, safety is ahead of any individual game result. Football is a physical sport and putting out a team of mostly 14-15 year olds vs. 17-18 year olds is not safe or realistic for our team, and even the opposing team playing. “
Before the decision to end their season, the Wolverines were 1-6 on the year, losing games by up to 50 points.
Coach Petermeier credited this year’s varsity squad for their preparation, training and effort, and told parents he believes the future of the Wadena-Deer Creek football program is bright with big participation numbers with players at the fifth- to ninth-grade levels.
“Football is a game that requires strength in numbers, and we will do anything we can to keep these numbers high and keep kids out for football,” he promised.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings