11. Mississippi River Critical - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

2001 Comprehensive Plan Amended February 26, 2002 A Vision for the River Corridor "The Ramsey community has acknowledged and embraced the importance of the Mississippi River Corridor, its' history, water quality, beauty and recreational opportunities. The future of the corridor through Ramsey consists' of a sanctuary where wildlife and nature coexist with people and development. Much of the land is preserved as passive open space, restored to its' native vegetation offering opportunities for education and recreation to both residents' and visitors to the river corridor. While the rights' of private property ownership are protected and respected by the users of the river corridor, it remains accessible to the general public through controlled access points' such as the Mississippi West Regional Park site and the continuous trail corridor linking Ramsey to other riverfront communities. In the future, the river corridor will continue to be an important part of the Ramsey community identity and will receive the attention that its' local, regional and national significance demands'." B. Background lnformafion Natural Communities and Features Original vegetation within the river corridor included a variety of prairie grasses (Dry Sand-dune Prairie) and floodplain forests consisting of lowland tree canopy of seasonally flooded river bottoms. Today's features are much different due to acts of weather, urbanization and agriculture activities. (See Figure XI-2 "Critical Area/MNNRA Environmental Features.") The following is a cursory inventory of existing natural features and communities present in the corridor. a) Wetlands Few wetlands are located within the Critical Area Corridor in the City of Ramsey. No wetlands are featured by the DNR protected waters inventory, however, the National Wetland Inventory indicates some wetlands of Wooded Swamps (Type 7) and Seasonally Flooded Basins (Type 2) as being within the Critical Area Corridor. The many islands along the corridor are typically classified as Wooded Swamp wetlands. The Critical Area Corridor is entirely within the Mississippi River Watershed and is therefore affected by surface water runoff coming from lands within the Highway 10 Corridor that also drain towards the Mississippi River. There are several wetlands of the Shallow Marsh (Type 3) located in the central portion of the Mississippi River Watershed but not within the Critical Area Corridor. b) Floodplain The riverbank along much of the river has relatively distinct edges with slopes of 12-25%: however, some areas are more even with the river's water level and are more prone to seasonal floods. These areas were officially mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) and can be seen on flood rate maps produced by FEMA or on the City of Ramsey's official zoning map. c) Soils/slopes The predominant soil types found within the Critical Area Corridor include the Hubbard, Dickman and Becker Series of soils. Slopes are predominantly flat to gently rolling and generally do not exceed a slope of 6% except for a few 2001 Ramsey Comprehensive Plan Page XI-3 Amended February 26, 2002