Agenda - Council - 02/26/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Response: The City concurs with the need to protect the River bluff. Please refer to the above comment (#12.10) response and Appendix J, and the discussion of Critical Area/MNRRA/WSB standards in Item 14. Comment 12.12: In Section 14 - Resource Protection Zones, Water Related Management District, if wetland mitigation or stormwater management for the Town Center project takes place on the south side of TH 10 and in the regional park, those activities are within the Mississippi Critical Area and the appropriate rules apply from the City's Critical Area Plan. Response: Please refer to the discussion in Item 14. Comment 12.13: In Section 11 - Fish, Wildlife and Ecologically Sensitive Resources, given the extent of the proposed water feature on the site and extent of nearby sandy upland area, the site habitat may be even more amenable to amphibians and reptiles in the future than it is now. Turtles are known to travel up to a mile from wetland feeding areas to their upland nesting areas. Council staff recommends requiring the use of surmountable curbs on all roads within the proposed development area so turtles do not become trapped within the roadways. Response: Although the city of Ramsey uses a standard of B618 curb and gutter, it realizes the importance of protecting turtles from becoming trapped within the roadways and has modified that standard on new developments in sensitive areas. This standard modification has predominantly been used in residential areas with low traffic volumes. Since the City of Ramsey is committed to protection of any protected species, it would be willing to change to surmountable curbs in all residential areas and look into the higher traffic roadways and commercial areas to determine the feasibility of installing surmountable curbs there as well. Comment 12.14: In Section 13 - Water Use, the AUAR states on page 13-7 that the groundwater level in the FIG has been trending upward in the last two years. It goes on to state that there appears to be no effect from pumping the municipal wells on the water level in the surficial material. It further recommends that long-term monitoring of the surficial aquifer be conducted. The Council concurs with this recommendation. Two years of data is not sufficient to show the long-term effects of pumping. The fact that the water level in the two wells analyzed level off after a short period of pumping may indicate that water is leaking from the surficial aquifer. In addition, the tritium sampling discussed on pages 19-2 and 19-3 of the EAW indicate that water in the City's municipal wells has recharged within the last 50 years suggesting a connection between the surficial and bedrock aquifers. The Council is currently undertaking studies to evaluate the ability of the FIG aquifer to support planned growth in the northwest metropolitan area. While the study conducted for the AUAR concludes that the FIG has sufficient capacity to support growth, the Council recommends that the city continue monitoring water levels to establish long-term trends and further evaluate aquifer capacity and potential impact on surface water features. 34-28