Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 03/02/2015

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Updated Storm Water Management Plan (SWMP) City of Ramsey, Minnesota VI. ASSESSMENT OF PROBLEMS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS This section assesses the water -related problems in the City, prioritizes the problems and includes actions to adequately solve each identified problem. The City held a public open house on July 11, 2007 to gather input on water resources -related problems. A public notice was published in accordance with City policies. Four residents attended the open house. The feedback that was received was primarily associated with the desire to protect the City's natural beauty including wetlands, wildlife habitat and wildlife corridors. The primary concern was that continued and uncontrolled development would adversely impact the current environment. All attendees expressed satisfaction that the SWMP is intended to protect these features. City staff also compiled a list of nuisance flooding areas either noted by maintenance staff or by resident complaints. Figure 9 highlights all known nuisance flooding areas,- A. Specific Lakes and Streams with Water Quality Problems Table 15 in Section IV, page 176 of this report, lists the current (29062014) MPCA 303d Impaired Waters in Ramsey. There are also waters downstream of the City of Ramsey, such as Lake Pepin, that are impaired. The process to remedy the impairment includes establishing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) allocation to each contributor to the problem. A TMDL is a calculation that determines the allowable pollutant load that can be discharged into the impaired water so that the limited load will ensure that the water improves to levels where it is no longer impaired. The typical process is initiated by the MPCA and includes a series of stakeholder meetings to formulate viable solutions and mutually work out a reasonable allocation of acceptable pollutant loading. Since a TMDL study has not been completed for these waters, the City should identify the priority it places on addressing impaired waters and how the City intends to participate in the development or implementation of TMDL projects. Furthermore, the City should volunteer to participate in the stakeholder process. Once a TMDL study is completed for the impaired water, the City must include, in this SWMP and its City-wide SWPPP, an implementation strategy including funding mechanisms that will allow the implementation of the TMDL requirements. As MPCA completes its TMDL process for each impaired water, the implementation of the measures to meet the TMDL will immediately become a priority item for the City of Ramsey. B. Hooding and Storm Water Rate Control Issues In discussing the current runoff conditions with City Staff and the few people that attended the open house on the proposed management plan, no significant flooding issues were identified. This may be due to the fact that the open house was held during a drought year, with no recent flooding problems. City staff marked known nuisance flooding areas on a map and prepared copies of all flood related complaints filed in the last 15 years. Figure 9 is a map of all noted flooding areas either noted by staff or associated with a resident complaint. Section VI February 20, 2015March 6, 2015 Page 48