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ANOKA CONSERVATION DISTRICT <br />16015 Central Ave NE, Suite 103 <br />Ham Lake, MN 55304 <br />Phone: (763) 434-2030 Fax: {763) 434-2094 <br />www.^nokaNaturalResources.com <br /> <br />MEMO <br /> <br />To' <br /> <br />From: <br /> <br />Date: <br /> <br />Re: <br /> <br />Ramsey Environmental Policy Task Force <br /> <br />Chris Lord, Anoka Conservation District Manager <br /> <br />May 3, 2004 <br /> <br />Wetland Buffers <br /> <br />The following information is intended to address many of the questions forwarded to me. <br /> <br />· Where should the buffer be measured from? <br /> How do we protect the buffer area? (Drainage and utility easements?) <br />· What buffers designs and considerations would you recommend? <br />· Do you know of any partnerships/collaborations to improve the success of a buffer <br /> program? <br />· What type of monitoring would you recommend? <br />· What compromises in buffer design can be made to address political, social and <br /> economic concerns without eliminating the value of the buffer? <br /> <br />For the sake of administrative ease and efficiency, buffers should be measured from the <br />wetland boundary delineated according to the 1987 Federal Manual for Identifying and <br />Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands (US COE), or other method accepted for wetland delineation <br />within the Wetland Conservation Act. <br /> <br />Buffer design, management and enforcement will depend on the purpose of the buffer. <br /> <br />Design: <br />Emmons and Olivier Resource studied wetland buffers, referencing 41 different sources and <br />compiled their findings in "Wetland Buffers: Recommendations to Protect Water Quality." I <br />believe Rich Biske provided you a full copy of the report at a previous meeting. This takes <br />factors such as the functional goal, slope and wetland quality into consideration. <br /> <br />Ideally, wetland buffer designs would take into consideration: · Functional goal (water quality, wildlife habitat, infiltration, erosion control, reduction in <br /> flooding/damage) <br /> · Soil type (heavy soils with Iow infiltration rates require wider buffers than sandy soils with <br /> higher infiltration rates) <br /> · Slope (steep slopes require wider buffers than gradual slopes) <br /> · Vegetation type (shallow rooted species with Iow stem density require wider buffers than <br /> deep rooted species with higher stem density because they slow water and increase <br /> infiltration. <br /> · Desired wildlife (some species require larger buffers) <br /> <br /> <br />