Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 10/15/2018

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Development of the Center site actually presents an opportunity to restore and incorporate environmental features that have not been a part of the landscape in recent memory. For example, the central green corridor is a remnant drainage feature that has not transmitted water in the memory of City or WMO officials. Connecting drainage from Lake Itasca to the Mississippi River to and through this feature will provide a chance to restore a natural function and the habitat, water quality and aesthetic benefits that accompany it. Similarly, installing runoff management practices that take full advantage of the infiltration character of porous Anoka Sandplain soils assures that surface water continues to recharge the essential drinking water aquifer supplying drinking water to City residents, whether on a municipal or private system. Finally, the public facilities and implementation requirements of planning are addressed in Chapters XV and XVI of the LCP. Management plans of any other government agencies. As discussed previously in this AUAR, there are several other plans that potentially cover the Town Center site and its adjacent area. Lower Rum River WatershedManagement Organization (LRRWMO). The entire site falls within the jurisdiction of the Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization (LRRWMO), which is a Joint Powers Agreement among the Cities of Ramsey, Anoka, Andover and Coon Rapids. Aspects of the LRRWMO relationship to this project were addressed in both Item 8 (permits) and Item 14 (related management districts). The WMO's state approved (BWSR) second generation watershed plan was adopted by the LRRWMO in late 1998. The Ramsey Town Center site occurs within the WMO's West Mississippi District. The WMO plan, however, mapped the portion of the sub - watershed surrounding Lake Itasca as part of the Trott Brook drainage area, which meant that flow would be to the north from the Lake rather than to the south. Because flow emanating from Lake Itasca has not occurred within recent history, there was some uncertainty over the direction of flow, if it were ever to occur. To address this uncertainty, an FOR survey team established elevations around the lake and determined the drainage directions located in Figure 12.1. Determining this flow direction is essential for to the modeling effort to quantify the area contributing to flow that could cross the Ramsey Town Center site. LRRWMO is also the designated —Local Governmental Unit" or LGU under the 1991 Wetland Conservation Act. This means that regulatory decisions on wetland impact within the City are made by the WMO. The WMO participated in all of the Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP) meetings related to this site, and is ultimately responsible for any subsequent permit decisions. Critical Area, MNRRA, Wild and Scenic River. The management overlap between the Critical Area component of the City's LCP and the 1VINRRA plan were addressed in Item 14. This discussion also addressed the Wild and Scenic River coverage. Local 27-6