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December XXXXX, 2014 <br />Anoka Conservation District <br />Attn: Chris Lord <br />1318 McKay Dr. NE, Suite 300 <br />Ham Lake, MN 55304 <br />RE: ACD Draft Comprehensive Plan 2015-2019 <br />Dear Mr. Chris Lord: <br />Thank you for the opportunity to review the 2015-2019 Draft Comprehensive Plan. <br />The City of Ramsey is pleased to see recognition of the emerging issues noted in the plan, <br />especially those regarding groundwater supply, declining pollinator populations, invasive species, <br />and habitat fragmentation. As both residential and commercial activity begins to grow again, <br />these issues likely will be exacerbated and all can have a detrimental impact on the public's <br />welfare and quality of life. <br />Regarding the Resource Condition section, the City of Ramsey completed a Functional <br />Assessment of Wetlands utilizing MnRAM 3.0 in 2007 as well as a Natural Resources Inventory <br />(NRI) later that same year. We would be happy to provide access to both of these <br />reports/databases if that would be of any benefit to your continued efforts of natural resource <br />management. Both endeavors included ground-truthing of significant acreage within the city. <br />Also within the Resource Condition section, under Water Quality, the Rum River and its <br />tributaries, including Ford Brook, are identified as ACD's highest priority watershed. However, <br />Ford Brook does not appear to have a designated water quality monitoring site (per Figure 15). <br />The City of Ramsey would encourage installation or designation of a monitoring station <br />somewhere along this brook. <br />Under Water Quantity, still within the Resource Condition section, it appears that certain <br />portions of Ramsey are identified to be greatly impacted by depleted surficial aquifers and <br />potential shortages of drinking water by 2030 (Figure 8). This is of great concern to the City, both <br />environmentally and economically. This drawdown could impact our lakes similar to what's <br />transpired with White Bear Lake. Ramsey would encourage the ACD to provide regular (or as <br />appropriate) updates regarding potential strategies being developed and/or under consideration <br />by the Metropolitan Water Supply Advisory Committee. However, the City also wants to clarify <br />