Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 01/25/2021

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Riverstone SouthEAWDraft December 2020 Potential cumulative effects of anticipated future projects on natural resources depend on the type, density, and location of future developments. Effects on natural resources such as wetlands and wildlife habitat vary with project location and biological diversity. Project effects on natural resources may combine with effectsof nearby concurrent projects to result in subtle local cumulative effects, such as habitat fragmentation. Surface water runoff from the project will mostly infiltrate into the ground. Runoff from large storm events may also flow overland to the southeast and the Mississippi River. Requirements for stormwater management and erosion and sedimentcontrol are expected to minimize cumulative effects of post-development runoff on downstream waters. Policies and regulations of the City of Ramsey, the Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization, and other government agencies require the stormwater mitigation measures discussed in this EAW. These mitigation measures will help ensure minimization of cumulative effects on the environment. The project willcontribute to and be affected by cumulative effects related to climate change. In Minnesota, climate change has already caused increasedextreme heat, large precipitation events, flooding, annual precipitation, and growing season days. These trends willcontinue and increase until climate change is reversed. Effectsof climate changeon future project area residents could include flooding; increased maintenance of roadways, storm sewers, and drainage routes; increased human heat stressand health issues,high pollen counts; and decreased need for irrigation. Increased heat could also affect construction practices such as roofing and outdoor activities such as summer and winter sports. Snow skiing and snowmobiling could be impacted due to lack of snow and warmer temperatures. Undesirable pests such as deer ticks and fungal infections could increase as a result of climate change. Some climate change impacts, such as extreme drought, coastal flooding, and shortages of food and water, are expected to affect other parts of the planet more severely than the project area. Climate change impacts are incremental and cumulative in nature. Just as the project will be impacted by climate change, the project will also make an incremental contribution to climate change impacts through the emission of greenhouse gases. 20.Other Potential Environmental Effects If the project may cause any additional environmental effects not addressed by items 1 to 19, describe the effects here, discuss the how the environment will be affected, and identify measures that will be taken to minimize and mitigate these effects. No other additional environmental effects are anticipated as a result of development of the project area. Potential environmental effects havebeen addressed in Items 1through 19. 32