Agenda - Council - 02/26/1985 - Laserfiche WebLink

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m WATER RESOURCES BOARD ,~,,~, ~..ze.c, 500 Lafayette Road Firsl Floor 5t. Pau), Hinnesota 55~46 m ]anuary 31, 1985 ! m ! ! m I ! I m "fO: Persons Interested in Metropolitan Surface Water Management Metropolitan Surface Water Management Act - Informational Mailin~ ~ ,2 A question that continues to be raised about the Metropolitan Surface Water Management Act is: "Why is it necessary?" It is being asked mainly by communities in unorganized watersheds ~,'ho don't see the need for spending public money to prepare watershed managerrent plans in their areas. ls Watershed Planning Needed? The need for stronger local water management was debated at length when the proposal ,,,'as brought before the Legislature in 1982. The main arguments supporting the bill were that serious surface water problems were occurring throughout the metro area that demanded local government action to correct, and that proper planning and management practices could prevent these problems at less cost than corrective measures. There certainly was no intent to require planning that would not be cost effective in the long run. The requirement that plans initially be prepared on a watershed basis was included because runoff doesn't obey political boundaries. A do~'nstream community has little control over the quantity and quality of runoff originating from communities upstream, unless an organization with ~'atershed-wide authority is established. Metro communities have been confronted with varied surface water problems including: Flooding - Bassett Creek Big Marine-Big Carnelian Lakes Chaska Creek Prior Lake Lake Marion Round Lake Lake Jane Priebe Lake Oneka Lake Coon Creek MinnehahaCreek