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Minnesota Senate bill to help establish regional water districts advances to committee

On Thursday, April 9, the Minnesota Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee advanced Senate File 4457, introduced by Sen. Mark Johnson, to the Committee on Capitol Investment for consideration of rural drinking water infrastructure funding.
Clay County commissioner Ezra Baer testified Thursday that rural systems face operational challenges, including high arsenic and manganese levels in private wells, warning that, "These systems are one failure away from providing safe drinking water."
Establishing regional districts is complex and costly, with expenses exceeding $700,000 over the past four years, Baer said. Currently, no grant programs exist to cover upfront engineering and legal burdens.
The proposed legislation appropriates $1 million from the general fund to create a targeted grant program capping individual awards at $300,000, requiring recipients to provide matching funds of at least 25% of the total grant amount.
Available until June 30, 2027, the one-time appropriation would "unleash a new range of options for local leaders to address drinking water challenges," Baer said during the hearing.

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Minnesota Senate bill to help establish regional water districts advances to committee

EAST GRAND FORKS — A bill that would bridge a gap in funding for rural drinking water infrastructure has advanced to the Minnesota Legislature's Committee on Capitol Investment for further consideration. If passed, Senate File 4457, introduced by Sen. Mark Johnson, would create a targeted grant program to help cover the upfront engineering and legal costs of forming regional water systems in rural communities. It was heard in the Health and Huma…

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