Agenda - Council - 02/22/2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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5.01: Mississippi River Shoreline Erosion Control Plan City Planner Anderson presented the staff report. He stated that in late 2015,the City engaged the services of the Anoka Conservation District (ACD) to conduct an inventory of the Mississippi River bank to assess the impacts of erosion. Subsequently, an item entitled "create a shoreline erosion control plan for the Mississippi River" was incorporated into the EPB's Work Plan. The intent was to utilize the inventory data and attempt to work with the most impacted property owners to complete shoreline stabilization projects. These projects would not only prevent further loss of property but would also help improve water quality. Mitch Haustein, Anoka Conservation District, provided an overview of the inventory that was completed in 2015 noting that the majority of the land falls under private ownership. He provided details on the methodology used to determine the bank condition and displayed the results of the inventory. He stated that the report includes a site profile for the ten properties that have areas marked with severe or very severe erosion issues. He noted that ACD has received interest from some of the properties identified within the report but acknowledged that funding continues to be an issue. He provided an example of a property owner that did reach out to ACD and when funding was available a project was completed in 2020 on that property. He noted the total project cost of $175,000. He explained that ACD received a Clean Water Fund (CWF) grant to assist in the project,but the homeowner still contributed$35,000. He provided details on the different funding sources that are available and the associated considerations. He stated that ACD primarily focuses on the CWF and provided additional details on the grant requirements. He reviewed the draft approach proposed for spring and summer 2022, related draft implementation information for 2023, and how ACD could be involved in that process. City Planner Anderson stated that he is not looking for specific action on this tonight. He noted that the item has been on the workplan for some time and tonight was meant to provide background information, review the cost to complete this type of work, and highlight the limited funding sources that may be available. He stated that more specific discussion could occur at a future meeting as to what would make the most sense, should the group desire to continue in this direction. Board Member Hiatt asked how much the erosion is changing and whether there is rationale as to whether that is happening. Mr. Haustein replied that conditions are constantly changing because this is a river. He stated that this is the snapshot from 2015 and believed that there would be progression of the erosion in the severe and very severe cases. He noted that on average small amounts of shore are lost each year, but larger events can cause tree loss and loss of more shoreline. Board Member Hiatt asked if there is consideration up and down stream to review this on a bigger picture. Mr. Haustein commented that they do look at the system as a whole but because of the challenges they are left to address site specific issues to protect properties. Board Member Bernard asked if the funding is only available for private property owners or whether there would be funding available for the City owned property as well. Environmental Policy Board/December 13, 2021 Page 2 of 5