The benefits of clean and abundant water and water services are defined by local needs and environmental context, accessible, and justly shared by all residents and communities.

The Met Council and our partners work across the region to provide access to safe and affordable water for drinking, recreation, cultural, industrial, and other social uses. Not all communities have the same water needs, environmental conditions, or cultural connection with water. The Met Council will be inclusive of community perspectives in our efforts to identify water service and benefit gaps, co-create solutions, and provide resources for the work necessary for an equitable water future.

The associated objective icon will appear in the policy section of this plan to indicate the connection of policies that support each objective.

Natural waters, source waters, water services, and infrastructure are managed, restored, and enhanced to protect public and ecosystem health that ensures a high quality of life in the region.

Through our breadth of services, we will continue to protect public and ecosystem health for the region and those downstream. The protection of these critical resources will allow our region to be successful, support growth, and improve the health and well-being of all living things. Examples of how we work to protect public and ecosystem health include wastewater treatment, water quality monitoring, source water protection, and technical assistance.

The region’s waters and water services are protected from and made resilient to the ongoing and future effects of climate change.

The policies and actions associated with these objectives direct and guide the Met Council and our partners to employ approaches that collectively result in sustainable water uses, water and water services that are resilient to risk and benefit a growing and a thriving economy – including convening partners, utilizing new tools and technologies, water conservation and protection efforts, and water planning and technical assistance. The Met Council commits to working with and supporting our regional water partners to meet the needs of current and future generations.

The region’s waters, water infrastructure, and utilities are experiencing the impacts of climate change. Observations show that the frequency and intensity of storm events has shifted, winters are warming, growing seasons are extending, and more extreme heat and drought events are projected to occur over the coming years and decades. These and other changes create risks to public and ecosystem health, while magnifying past and future water and water service challenges. In partnership with Tribal Nations, the State of Minnesota, local communities, and our regional water planning and management partners, the Met Council supports work that helps the region to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, limit risks and adapt to climate change impacts, and be resilient when new and evolving challenges threaten water and water services and a high quality of life in the region.

Water protection, planning, management, and infrastructure investments are optimized to ensure public and ecosystem health are fully protected now and for future generations.

Water professionals provide critical operations and planning services and put significant investment into water infrastructure for stormwater, wastewater, and local water supply across the region. We work to optimize the existing investments and thoughtfully and responsibly plan future programs and infrastructure to sustain and serve our growing region. The funding for this work and water planning must be supported now and into the future. We will continue to work to secure funds and grants for our efforts as well as to support local communities in those pursuits. We have a responsibility to the region to protect our region’s waters with community input to identify needed expansions or additional service needs.