Coon Creek Watershed District

Tim Kelly District Administrator

Agenda

1. What’s a Watershed2. What’s a Watershed District3. Ditches, Drainage & Maintenance4. Property Rights & Easements5. Outlots6. Role & Goals7. Questions

What’s a Watershed?

A Drainage Area

A Catchment

Come in All Sizes

All ShapesAll Shapes

They Overlap (& underlap) Political Boundaries

Anoka County

They are Defined by Water

What is a Watershed District?

Special Purpose Unit of Government

vs. General Purpose government

General Purpose Cities

Counties

Special Purpose

Watershed Districts Governed by a Board of Managers

(N=5) Statutory Authorities

Taxation Special Assessments Regulation

Watershed Districts Statutory Responsibilities

Drainage Law – 1897 Watershed District Act - 1955 Metropolitan Surface Water Management

Act - 1982 Wetland Conservation Act – 1991 National Pollution Discharge Elimination

System (NPDES) MS4 Designation- 2004

A Little Background on

Coon CreekA Little History on

The watershedThe ditch system

Mission Statement

To manage groundwater and surface water systems to:

Prevent property damage Maintain hydrologic balance Protect water quality

For: the safety and enjoyment of

citizens, and the preservation and

enhancement of wildlife.

19901990

Ground and Surface Ground and Surface WaterWater

Prevent Property Prevent Property DamageDamage

Direct Direct PreventionPrevention Regulation – Regulation – Operations & Operations &

Maintenance of the Maintenance of the Drainage systemDrainage system

Indirect Indirect PreventionPrevention MonitoringMonitoring Planning & Planning &

ForecastingForecasting Information and Information and

EducationEducation

Hydrologic Hydrologic BalanceBalanceP = ET + R + P = ET + R + SMS SMS

+ + GMS + GMS + DS + DS + GWFGWF

Protect Water QualityProtect Water Quality

Water Quality BMP Water Quality BMP Principal MethodsPrincipal Methods

FiltrationFiltration: : The capture of solid The capture of solid pollutants pollutants

InfiltrationInfiltration: : A technique to A technique to discharge stormwater runoff to grounddischarge stormwater runoff to ground

SettlingSettling: : Deposition of solids in a Deposition of solids in a water column,water column,

Biological UptakeBiological Uptake: : Vegetative Vegetative and microbial uptake of nutrients. and microbial uptake of nutrients.

TemperatureTemperature Control: Control: reduce reduce the heating effects the heating effects

Water Quantity Water Quantity (Speed & Volume) BMP (Speed & Volume) BMP

Principal MethodsPrincipal Methods Volume ControlVolume Control: limit the net : limit the net

volume increase volume increase (#1 method: reduce impervious areas) (#1 method: reduce impervious areas)

Rate & Velocity ControlRate & Velocity Control: : SW Detention to slow it down to pre- SW Detention to slow it down to pre- development rates development rates

EvapotranspirationEvapotranspiration: loosing : loosing water through vegetation (surface & water through vegetation (surface & transpiration)transpiration)

Safety and EnjoymentSafety and Enjoyment

Wildlife Preservation and Wildlife Preservation and EnhancementEnhancement

Services & UsesServices & Uses

DirectDirect DrainageDrainage IrrigationIrrigation Flood controlFlood control Wetland conservationWetland conservation Water qualityWater quality Groundwater Groundwater

rechargerecharge Stormwater standardsStormwater standards Erosion and sediment Erosion and sediment

controlcontrol

IndirectIndirect Drinking waterDrinking water Fisheries habitatFisheries habitat Industrial use and Industrial use and

coolingcooling

District ProgramsDistrict Programs Regulation and Issue Management Regulation and Issue Management

Operations and MaintenanceOperations and Maintenance

Planning, Programming, and BudgetingPlanning, Programming, and Budgeting

Information & EducationInformation & Education

Monitoring, and Data CollectionMonitoring, and Data Collection

Quick Questions

ClarificationsClarifications

Ditches, Drainage &

Maintenance

Ditch & Drainage System13 Drainage Systems

in the Watershed Constructed: 1889 to

1918

Ditch 58 Constructed 1917

Transferred to Coon Creek WD in 1960

Last repair under drainage law in 1985

Last maintenance action 2010

Purpose of a Ditch

To Convey Water

Agriculture – Remove water from the root zone

Municipal – Prevent flooding, remove water from roads and prevent property damage

Roles & Goals of Ditches

1. Agricultural Drainage

2. Stormwater

3. Collector System

4. Trunk System

Requirements

Prevent flooding – upstream and downstream

Keep Creek system – fishable & swimmable

Protect Mississippi River, St. Paul & Minneapolis Water intakes

Maintenance

Routine – Comprehensive Inspections & Survey (Next 2013) (20% of system annually)

Non-Routine/Issues – Beaver, Obstruction, Tree Removal, Compliance, Illicit Discharge

Repair – Bank Stabilization, Channel Restoration

Quick Questions

ClarificationsClarifications

Property & Easements

Bundle of Rights Associated with Property

1. Sell2. Mortgage3. Bequeath4. Lease5. Use and Occupy6. Use existing

improvements7. Construct new

improvements

Consistent With Local Rules:

8. Grade, fill or excavate

9. Install permanent roads or widen existing ones

10. Excavate new lakes 11. Subdivide/develop 12. Farm

Easements

A right of use over the real property of another. .

Usually for a special Usually for a special purposepurpose

Historically was limited to Rights-of-way Rights over flowing

waters.

EasementsEasements

May be public or private. May be public or private. A private easementA private easement

limited to a specific individual limited to a specific individual Usually accessUsually access

A public easementA public easement granted to the public granted to the public Eg. Eg.

public streets and highwayspublic streets and highways right to navigate a river right to navigate a river

Nature of Easements

Restrictive

Prescriptive

Nature of Easements

Restrictive Easement Placed on land by

ownergovernment

Partially restricts its use Types of structures which may be built What may be done with the ground

itself

Nature of Easements

Prescriptive Easement Comes about through use, tradition or

designation May not be expressly created or recorded

Notes Does not convey the title to the property in

question, Typically pertains to a particular purpose Often requires less strict requirements of proof

Public Ditch Easements Prescriptive in Nature:

Easements “In Fact” established when ditch constructed.

Rights Reserved: The Ditch & Spoil Bank Access to ditch for:

Inspection Maintenance & Repair (Heavy equipment & deposition of

spoil) Improvement – Assuming due process

Size & Shape: Dimensionless (It’s a problem)

Quick Questions

ClarificationsClarifications

Outlots

Outlots

Left over parcels of land

Typically they may not fit into a particular lot or may contain Wetland Some other unique environmental

feature Storm water pond

Outlots

Conveyed to the City when the subdivision is approved

Typical City goals: Preserve undeveloped land for

environmental reasons. Access to a storm water pond, trail or

park land.

Outlots: The Problem

How to maintain them?

Dilemma: Lots usually in the center of the development Many properties share a common

property line Many opinions to consider when

deciding the maintenance standard to use.

Typical Outlot Management Strategies

Use a minimum maintenance standard to: Save money, Encourage more natural environment in

the City

Allow adjacent property owners to maintain/mow up to the property line (No mowing on the outlot)

Roles & Goals

Roles & Goals

Organ Planning

Regulate

Maintain

Research

Rolling Meadows HOA

* ?

City of Ham Lake

* * Home, street, storm

water, Floodplain,

Illicit discharge

*Street Stormsewe

r•Oulot

Coon Creek WD

* * Ditch, Ditch

easement, ESC, water

quality, wetland,

Illicit discharge

* Ditch * Flood, water

quality, wetlands

Questions?