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2). Culvert crossings should be designed so that water (when flowing) flows continuously <br />though the pipe, with no physical barriers such as weirs or gates blocking upstream, or <br />downstream travel. <br /> <br />3). Fencing may be used to guide or block movement. Depending on the final design of <br />the greenway/stormwater conveyance system, access to the site by turtles should be <br />blocked to reduce the possibility that the site will become a sink to nearby turtle <br />populations. <br /> <br />.............................. - .................... Page Break- ................................................... <br />Item 12 Mitigation Element. <br /> <br />Wetland Sequencing - Minnesota Rules 8420, also known as the Wetland Conservation <br />Act (WCA), requires specific steps ("sequencing") be' taken when evaluating mitigation <br />for unavoidable wetland impacts. The WCA requires that wetland impacts be avoided, if <br />possible. If wetland avoidance cannot be accomplished, impacts to wetlands need to be <br />minimized. Finally, any wetland impacts that can not either be avoided or minimized to <br />the extent possible, must be mitigated though wetland replacement. The wetland <br />replacement must mitigate all wetland functions and values lost as part of the wetland <br />impact. <br /> <br />The degradation present on site allows the applicant to evaluate sequencing flexibility in <br />their mitigation plan. It also allows the Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP) the ' · <br />opportunity to be flexible on the sequencing provisions of the WCA rule. This process <br />may only be applied in the event the wetlands on-site are degraded to the point where <br />replacement of the wetland would result in a gain in functions and values. This is an item <br />that will be considered by the TEP during the permitting process. <br /> <br />Wetlands located on site are described in the Wetland Delineation Report (Appendix A), <br />and are discussed in Item 10. With a few exceptions, wetlands located within the <br />boundaries of the RTC are either cropped or are of low quality. -These wetlands have <br />marginal functions and values due to their low vegetative diversity, partial drainage and <br />lack of connectivity to other nearby wetlands and natural areas. Sequencing is addressed <br />as follows: <br /> <br />Avoidance: The better quality portions of existing wetlands are generally avoided. This <br />includes all of wetlands B, C and D. <br /> <br />Minimization: The mix of development proposed as part of the RTC requires that retail, <br />commercial and residential land use blocks are a minimum size with adequate <br />infrastructure to service them. The focus of minimization has been to incorporate as <br />much of existing wetland area into a central greenway corridor, thereby lowering Overall <br />wetland loss across the project site. To avoid indirect impacts to remaining wetlands, <br />each of the development blocks will incorporate a treatment train of stormwater best <br />management practices designed to improve water quality and' lower wetland bounce <br /> <br />237 <br /> <br /> <br />