Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 03/16/2020

Home

Environmental Policy Board (EPB) 5. 3. Meeting Date: 03/16/2020 By: Chris Anderson, Community Development Information Title: Anoka Conservation District Annual Plan Purpose/Background: The Anoka Conservation District (ACD) has distributed their draft 2020 Annual Plan for review and comment by their potential partners in natural resource conservation. The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) has instituted a new funding allocation process for Clean Water Funds called Watershed Based Implementation Funding (WBIF), which requires a project to be included in a state approved plan. This is a new process (Soil and Water Conservation District plans previously had no avenue to acquire state approval) developed by BWSR, which includes more defined requirements within a plan. Staff sent the draft Annual Plan to the Environmental Policy Board (EPB) via email on March 3, 2020 to provide additional time for review. Notification: Not required. Observations/Alternatives: The ACD's Annual Plan identifies five (5) priorities for 2020 and beyond. In order of importance to the ACD, they are: Water Quality, Water Quantity, Natural Habitat, Wetlands, and Soils. Each of these priorities has associated goals outlined in the Annual Plan. Staff has no issue or concern with their identified priorities as many have been echoed by the City as well. In reviewing the Annual Plan, Staff was looking to see if their were any elements that required action by the City and/or obligated the City to implement new standards or regulations. It does not appear to do so. In fact, several of the identified Policy and/or Regulatory Projects have already been implemented by the City, including ordinance amendments to accommodate pollinator habitat. While the City has already implemented no wake regulations on the Rum River, Staff fully supports the ACD's objective of adding signage and maps at public launch sites to help inform and educate boaters of the regulations. Furthermore, the ACD states that, as part of this Annual Plan, they would support legislative changes that support groundwater conservation via technological upgrades to irrigation systems for water efficiency (City has already implemented this strategy) and amendments to the plumbing code to allow gray water segregation, reuse, and infiltration (something Staff supports as it would help conserve and replenish groundwater). The only comment that Staff would have on the ACD's Annual Plan is: . In the table of Priority Initiatives for 2020 and Beyond, verify that the annual and total costs are identified correctly (it appears that some of the annual costs are identified as total costs). The only other note that Staff would have is a desire for more interaction and collaboration between the ACD and the City's EPB. There seems to be good synergy and an opportunity for a partnership in educating the residents of Ramsey on various natural resources issues. Funding Source: This is being handled as part of Staffs regular duties. Action: