Shingle Creek andWest Mississippi Watershed Management Commissions

Third Generation Watershed Management Plan

Meeting Purpose

•Provide an overview of the Shingle Creek and West Mississippi Watershed Management Commissions and their work

•Get your input on water resources priorities for the coming 10 years

Agenda• What is a watershed and what is a watershed

management commission?• What is a watershed management plan and

how does it relate to what cities do?• What have the Shingle Creek and West

Mississippi Watershed Management Commissions accomplished in the past ten years?

• What are the issues identified for next ten years, and how do the Commissions plan to address them?

What is a Watershed?

Why Manage Water Resources?

1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) was intended:

“… to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.”

Surface Water Management Act 1982(Metro Water Planning Law)

Metro area divided into watersheds

Each governed by a Watershed Management Organization (WMO)

WMOs can be Watershed Districts or Joint Powers Commissions

Each WMO must prepare a management plan for its water resources and update it every ten years

Metro Area Watersheds

Shingle Creek and West Mississippi Watersheds

West Mississippi

Shingle Creek

Shingle Creek and West Mississippi Watershed Management Commissions

Created in 1984

Cities chose joint powers form to retain local control

Governed by citizens appointed by the cities

Watershed Roles and Responsibilities

• Planning studies• Development standards• Monitoring, modeling,

education and outreach

Commissions: Policy and

Coordination

• Capital projects• Maintenance• Enact ordinances, standard

practices, etc.

Member Cities:

Implementation

Third Generation Watershed Management Plan

Watershed Management PlansA framework guiding annual work plans and city Local Water Management PlansAssessment of problems and issues and corresponding goals, policies and strategiesSpecific steps to be undertaken over ten years

Funding and partnership strategies

Relationship with City Planning

Watershed Plan sets goals and policies

City Local Plans

implement strategies

Management Planning

•First Generation Plan, 1990-2002: focus on water quantity, preventing flooding

•Second Generation Plan, 2003-2012: focus on water quality, education and outreach

•Third Generation Plan, 2013-2022: focus on implementation and achieving outcomes

Overview of Past 10 Years: Successes• 13 lake nutrient TMDLs• Shingle Creek chloride

TMDL• Shingle and Bass Creeks

Biotic and Dissolved Oxygen TMDL

TMDLs evaluating

water quality

• Amount of pollutant load reduction necessary

• List of potential actions that cities can take

Implementation Plans for each TMDL

Overview of Past 10 Years: Successes

• Expansion of education and outreach programEducation

• Obtained $2.2 million in grants for projects and studies

Grants

• Calibrated hydrologic, hydraulic, and water quality models

Modeling

Problems and Issues

Maintaining & Improving Water Resources

13 lakes do not meet water quality goals

Shingle Creek and Bass Creek have low

dissolved oxygen and poor biotic integrity

Shingle Creek and Bass Creek are impaired by high levels of chloride

from road salt

Need to increase groundwater recharge

TMDLs

Financial Stability

City budget limitations

More competition for grants

Unfunded regulatory obligations

How to fund financial

incentives for private property

Funding

Regulations, Rules, and Standards

Upcoming state and regional

TMDLs

New water quality standards

Managing redevelopment

Impact of climate change

Unknowns

Evaluation and Communication

What is adequate progress toward improving water

quality

How do we influence behaviors that impact water

quality

How do we measure our

success

How should we provide information

to and get input from the public

Other Issues

PreliminaryGoals

Water Quantity Goals

•Continue to prevent flooding

•Increase summer flows in Shingle and Bass Creeks

Shingle Creek in Brooklyn Park

Implementation Actions

Water Quality Goals

•Improve water quality to meet state standards in these lakes:▫Schmidt▫Bass▫Eagle▫Crystal▫Middle Twin▫Ryan

Meadow Lake, New Hope

Implementation Actions

Water Quality Goals

•Improve water clarity in other lakes by 10%

•Complete stream improvements on 30% of the length of Shingle Creek

Shingle Creek, Brooklyn Park

Implementation

Groundwater and Wetlands Goals

•Increase infiltration to restore groundwater

•Protect existing wetlands

•Improve functions and values of wetlands where possible

Cherokee Drive wetland, Brooklyn Park

Operations and Programming Goals•Operate within sustainable funding level•Continue to share in the cost of

implementation projects•Continue to seek out grants and other

funding sources

Continue the Monitoring Program

Lake water qualityStream flow and qualityAquatic vegetationFish and bug monitoringVolunteer monitoring

Continue Education and Outreach Programming

Sponsor volunteer eventsParticipate in education fairsProvide classroom education

Operations and Programming Goals•Maintain updated hydrologic, hydraulic,

and water quality models•Maintain and update development rules

and standards•Serve as a technical resource for cities•Continue research projects•Coordinate water management between

cities

ImplementationDecrease stormwater runoff and improve water quality by adding more stormwater ponds, rain gardens, swales, native vegetation, and other practices.

Restore the banks and channel of Shingle Creek and other small streams to make them more stable and natural.

Continue to monitor our water resources to see if they are getting better and make sure they are not getting worse.

Implementation

Continue providing education and outreach to school groups, associations, city councils and commissions, residents, and developers.

Continue to research ways to improve water quality and aquatic life.

Where possible, improve wetlands and increase infiltration to replenish groundwater.

Some Questions

•What do you think are the most important issues regarding our lakes and streams?

•Are there some additional things we could consider doing to help our water resources?

•What’s the best way to get information about water resources issues to residents and to commercial properties?

•How would you persuade someone to consider doing something new, such as a rain garden?

Thank You!