DEPARTMENT: Environmental Resources
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
TITLE
title
Authorization To Change Financial Eligibility Criteria For The Dakota County Safe Drinking Water For Private Well User Grant
end
PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Authorize changes to the financial eligibility criteria for the Dakota County Safe Drinking Water for Private Well Users Grant. Staff proposes to add a 50 percent cost-share grant option for private well users who do not meet low-income criteria.
SUMMARY
In July 2024, Dakota County received a $100,000 Clean Water Fund grant from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to help ensure safe drinking water for private well users. Private well users in the county are eligible for financial assistance to address drinking water quality concerns in their private wells. The Dakota County Safe Drinking Water for Private Well Users Grant (Grant) https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Environment/WaterResources/WellsDrinkingWater/Pages/safe-drinking-water-grant.aspx
provides funding to eligible landowners or renters to repair, reconstruct, or replace a well or treat drinking water supplies that are contaminated with arsenic, manganese, nitrate, coliform bacteria, or lead.
The Grant currently provides up to 100 percent financial assistance to Dakota County residents who:
1) Use well water as their primary source of drinking water;
2) Meet "low-income" criteria for the Minneapolis - St. Paul - Bloomington, Metro Area as defined by the US Department of Agriculture Rural Development
https://www.rd.usda.gov/files/RD-DirectLimitMap.pdf guidelines; and
3) Exceed a MDH drinking water guideline for arsenic, manganese, nitrate, lead, or coliform bacteria.
Staff conducted direct outreach to over 300 private well users in Dakota County with known exceedances and promoted the Grant through numerous outlets, including the County Newsletter, electronic newsletters, social media, and direct mailings. As of June 2025, only six private well users have participated in...
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