Water Purchase Agreement Between Shakopee Mdewakanton and City of Prior Lake Will Help Solve Water Supply Needs

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) and the City of Prior Lake have signed a water purchase agreement giving the City access to a new water supply for the next 25 years. The SMSC has expanded its North Water Treatment Facility on McKenna Road to help accommodate the anticipated long-term needs of the tribe and the City.

The facility expansion, which began last summer, includes an additional well drawing from the Jordan Aquifer, a 300,000-gallon in-ground tank to provide increased water storage, and an increase in treatment capacity. Service to the City of Prior Lake is scheduled to begin within the next 30 days and continue for 25 years. Under the terms of the agreement, the City may purchase up to 700 gallons of water per minute.  

“Protecting our city’s water access and water quality, both now and in the future, is a high priority,” said Prior Lake Mayor Kenneth Hedberg. “By partnering with the SMSC, we are able to meet our foreseeable water needs without duplicating costly infrastructure.”

The SMSC’s expansion of the North Water Treatment Facility will help the tribe and the City keep pace with their projections for future residential and commercial development.

“This latest partnership with the City of Prior Lake gives us the opportunity to pool resources with a neighbor in order to meet a common goal,” said SMSC Chairman Charlie Vig. “It was also important to us that this agreement reflects the SMSC’s environmental stewardship goals, so we did our due diligence before proceeding in this direction.”

The SMSC Land and Natural Resources Department conducts pumping tests and monitors performance data from the Jordan Aquifer. The new well involved in this expansion was strategically located to minimize interference with other wells and maximize the aquifer’s protective cover, which helps prevent pollution of the aquifer.

The North Water Treatment Facility opened in 2007 and has met or exceeded all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Indian Health Service guidelines since its opening.

City and SMSC collaborate on numerous efforts

The water purchase agreement is the latest in a long series of collaborations between the SMSC and the City of Prior Lake. The two governments, along with the City of Savage, have an interconnected water system that allows each of the partners to utilize water from one another in the event of a water shortage emergency. The SMSC and City of Prior Lake also have agreements related to law enforcement, fire, and ambulance service. In addition, the SMSC and the City of Prior Lake jointly manage natural areas, and the SMSC accepts free yard waste drop-off at its Organics Recycling Facility by Prior Lake, Shakopee, and Savage residents.