Agenda - Council - 08/06/2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Citizen scientist volunteers with the Hennepin County Wetland Health Evaluation Program gather data to assess the health of the county's wetlands. Perhaps most critically, Hennepin County partners with watershed districts and joint -powers watershed management organizations to add value to their activities by convening groups around issues that span watershed boundaries and to lead by example through careful and considerate stewardship of natural resources in all county activities. In Hennepin County, watersheds are managed by either a watershed management organization or a watershed district. Both are separate units of government governed by a board of commissioners. Watershed district board members are appointed by the Hennepin County Board, while watershed management organization board members are appointed by city councils. The watershed management organizations in Hennepin County are: • Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission • Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission • Lower Minnesota River Watershed District • • • • • Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Mississippi Watershed Management Organization Nine Mile Creek Watershed District Pioneer -Sarah Creek Watershed Management Commission Richfield -Bloomington Watershed Management Organization • Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District • Shingle Creek Watershed Management Commission • West Mississippi River Watershed Management Commission Impaired waters Water quality in lakes is affected by the amount of pollutants entering the lake, lake size, and depth. Similarly, river and stream water quality is affected by the amount of pollutants and the rate and volume of flow through the channel. The amount of pollutants depends on the size of the watershed, the types of land use occurring in the watershed, and annual precipitation. Common pollutants are plant nutrients and fertilizer, which contain phosphorus and nitrogen; sediment; road salt; oil; and heavy metals. Other pollutants of special concern are persistent bioaccumulative toxics (PBTs), which are highly toxic, long-lasting substances that can build up in the food chain to levels that are harmful to humans and wildlife. These toxics are released through the production of energy; motor vehicle use and other air emissions; or when products like electronics, pesticides, and other consumer and industrial products are disposed of improperly. The primary tool for addressing impaired waters is a pollution reduction plan called a total maximum daily load (TMDL). A TMDL is the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive without violating water quality standards. The TMDL process identifies all sources of the pollutant and determines how much each source must reduce its contribution in order to meet the quality standard. Using this information, a pollution reduction plan is developed. Once the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves a completed TMDL plan, the city or watershed management organization implements the plan (see table W-1 for a list of completed TMDL plans in Hennepin County). The MPCA has oversight of this process. 9