Agenda - Council - 04/24/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASE # 4% ADOPT RESOLUTION RATIFYING THE MUNICIPAL WETLAND MANAGEMENT CLASSIFICATION MAP; CASE OF CITY OF RAMSEY By: Chris Anderson, Environmental Coordinator Background: In October of 2005, the City Council adopted a wetland buffer ordinance that is triggered when a property is proposed for development. The ordinance requires a vegetative buffer be retained or established around the delineated boundary of a wetland. The required width of the vegetative buffer is related to the overall quality of a wetland, determined through the application of the Minnesota Routine Assessment Method (MnRAM), which is an assessment method that was developed by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). Higher quality wetlands require a wider buffer than lower quality wetlands. The ordinance outlines four (4) management categories, Preserve, Manage 1, Manage 2, and Manage 3, and each category has a specific minimum. required buffer width. The following items are enclosed for your information: a) Draft Municipal Wetland Management Classification Map b) Resolution to ratify draft Municipal Wetland Management Classification Map c) Draft Planning Commission meeting minutes dated April 5, 2007 Notification: The public hearing was properly advertised in the Anoka County Union. Funding: A transfer of funds from the Landfill Tipping Fee Fund was approved by City Council to conduct this study. Observations: In conjunction with the wetland buffer ordinance, the City hired Peterson Environmental Consulting, which has since merged with Westwood Professional Services (WPS), to conduct a wetland functions and values study. The purpose of the study was to assess all wetlands within the City (at least 0.25 acre in size) using the MnRAM system. Through various existing data sources, such as aerial photography, soils data, and County Biological Survey data, each wetland was preliminarily placed into one of the four (4) management categories. Wetlands that were preliminarily classified as Preserve through Manage 1/1\4anage 2, plus a dozen or so other wetlands (primarily along Trott Brook), were then field- verified to ensure these higher quality wetlands were accurately categorized. WPS has compiled the results of this study and prepared a final report and draft municipal wetland management classification map.