Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 01/07/2008

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2001Comprehensive Plan Amended February 26, 2002 ". . i Zimmerman-Isanti-Lino Association is prominent. This soil association is also dominated by sandy soil conditions~ is well suited to urban uses and moderately well suited to farming. The dominant soils of these associations include Hubbard~ Nymore~ Zimmerman and Isanti. Some of the sub-soils include Markey, Rifle~ Dickman, Anok~ Duelm and Becker. A complete inventory map of Anoka County including the City of Ramsey can be found in the Soil Survey of Anoka County found at City Hall or Anoka County Surveyors office. 4. Rivers, Urban Streams and Drainage Ditches The Mississippi River forms the southern border of Ramsey and one of its tributaries, the Rum River, forms the eastern border. These two rivers are the drainage basins for the entire City. Much of southern Ramsey is part of the Mississippi River Watershed. The northern and central portions of the' City are located in the Lower Rum River Watershed. Trott Brook and Ford Brook are two main ditches in a series of county ditches that provide drainage ways through the northern portion of the City and drain into the Rum River. 5. Floodplains A good portion of the Cities natural resources are located within designated floodway or floodplain areas. Floodplain areas can be found along Trott Brook, Ford Brook, many of the drainage ditches and wetlands within the community and the Mississippi and Rum. Rivers. Characteristics of floodplains include mucky soils that are poorly drained and seasonally flooded and wetland vegetation. Often, floodplains are used for agriculture purposes because of the high nutrient and organic soils that are unsuitable to development. 6. Woodlands The City of Ramsey conducted tree inventories in 1979 and again in 1992. These inventories indicate a predominance of bur oak, box elder and red oak. The area was originally higher in oak species: however, clear-cutting for agriculture greatly reduced tree cover. Also the oak population is suffering from oak wilt, which has been increasing in recent years. In addition to disease, residential development has reduced much of the wooded population. As the older tree population begins to die off or be removed~ new species are introduced. These species are not very well documented. The City of Ramsey has been designated by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a member of Tree City USA since roughly 1986. 7. Existing Management Efforts The following programs are currently being implemented by the City of Ramsey to protect the natural resource base: The Shoreland Management Program provides orderly development of the shore land and protects lakes and rivers from pollution by individual sewage treatment systems and other non-point sources. The intent of the program is to encourage development of our shorelands in such a way that the water quality is enhanced and the scenic resources are preserved. 2001 Ramsey Comprehensive Plan Page XIII-3 Amended February 26, 2002