Bonding plan includes Lutsen Mts. water system

Gov. Mark Dayton today released a $775 million construction plan that includes money for a water pumping system for the Lutsen ski resort and its neighbors.

According to the Duluth News-Tribune, Dayton said the projects he’s proposed across the state will put 21,700 additional construction workers on the job and leverage another $500 million in federal and local money for badly needed projects across the state.

Included in the Governor’s plan is $3.6 million for a grant to the Lake Superior-Poplar River Water District to acquire an easement and build a pipeline to transport water from Lake Superior for snowmaking at the Lutsen ski hill.

In addition, the water could also be used to supply local residential, commercial and industrial users. A local match of $1.2 million would be required.

Lutsen has been pumping water from the Poplar River for decades. In recent years the pumping has violated a state permit. While the DNR was moving to end the excess pumping, fearing it may harm the river’s fish and ecosystem in low-flow periods, lawmakers last year intervened to allow the ski hill to continue using the extra river water until another source could be found.

The state bonding bill will be one of the top priorities of the 2012 Legislature, but it will need to move through the Republican-controlled House and Senate before it comes back to the DFL governor. The state borrows money for projects by issuing bonds that are paid back over several years.