Agenda - Council - 12/11/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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C,gge *`8 CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION OF LOWER RUM RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT By Steven Jankowski, City Engineer Background: • The Lower Rum River Water Management Organization (LRRWMO) was organized under a joint power agreement by the communities of Andover, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Ramsey in 1985 in response to section 103B of the state statutes. This .statute requires all watersheds located. within the seven county metropolitan areas to form watershed districts or water management organizations. This law was intended to cause the management of water resources on a watershed basis. The joint .powers agreement under which the LRRWMO operated term expired on January 1, 2005, however unaware of this fact, the Organization has continued to act and exercise its powers and duties since that date. Since that date the City has continued its support of the organization through payment of annual dues .and requiring development applicants to obtain permits from the LRRWMO throughout this interim period. This item was presented as a consent agenda case on October 9, 2007 however was removed from the agenda so .that this issue could be discussed at a City Council workshop held on November 20, 2007. The issue before the Council includes a proposal to reauthorize the City's participation in the LRRWMO until December 31, of 2014. The LRRWMO attorney has also suggested that the authorizing resolution for this joint powers agreement extension include a provision formally ratifying the actions taken by the WMO to solidify the authority of the pernits issued during the interim period. Concern was expressed regarding the nature and content of the actions the City was, being asking to ratify. Since January 1 of 2005 a total of 74 pernits have been issued by the LRRWMO with 42 of these being for projects in the City of Ramsey. Plans submitted with these applications are reviewed by the LRRWMO engineer to confirn compliance with minimum design criteria established in the LRRWMO Plan . A memo from the WMO engineer summarizes the findings of the review along with the recoirunended conditions for the permit. Occasionally the Board inay add a condition based upon discussion that is not included in the WMO engineer's ineino. The permit is then formally granted by the board and notification of approval is sent to the applicant. The elements of a pernit application which are reviewed include water quality to protect downstream public waters; water quantity to minimize flooding potential; and, erosion control to prevent pollution during construction. The elements of the WMO plan are in turn reviewed and approved by the Board of Soil and Water Conservation (BOWSR) which receives its authority from the Minnesota statutes. Attached to this case is are copies of the memos issued by the WMO engineer for the • fourteen permits which were issued for projects last year in the City of Ramsey.. It should be noted that 11 of these permits contained the same five standard conditions -393-