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3-17-97 agenda 0 CITY OF RICHFIELD MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1997 RICHFIELD-BLOOMINGTON WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION RICHFIELD CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS 6700 PORTLAND AVENUE 5:00 P.M. (DINNER SERVED) 5:30 P.M. (MEETING BEGINS) AGENDA CALL TO ORDER • ROLL CALL 1. ANNUAL MEETING OF THE RICHFIELD-BLOOMINGTON WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION COUNCIL LETTER NO. 72 ADJOURNMENT AUXILIARY AIDS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. REQUESTS MUST BE MADE AT LEAST 96 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR AT 861-9702. C7 CITY OF RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA Council Letter No. 72 Agenda March 17, 1997 Issue Statement: Annual meeting of the Richfield-Bloomington Watershed Management Organization. Background: The Richfield-Bloomington Watershed Management District was formed in 1984 to coordinate storm water management planning as mandated by the State of Minnesota. In order to maintain local control of storm water in the City of Richfield, primarily in the southeast portion of the City, Richfield decided to form their own Watershed Management District with Bloomington rather than join an existing Watershed Management District. Since the original creation of the Richfield-Bloomington Watershed Management District, the District has been expanded to include a larger portion of the City. Members of the Richfield City Council and the Bloomington City Council make up the Board of Commissioners. The Board is to hold an annual meeting in the first 90 days of each year. The fourteenth annual organizational meeting will be held Monday, March 17, 1997 at 5:30 p.m. at Richfield City Hall. A light supper will be served at 5:00 p.m. The agenda packet for the meeting is attached. Recommended Motion: This Council Letter is for transmittal purposes. No formal action is necessary as a City Council. However, the attached agenda packet indicates there is some action required • of the Board of Commissioners at the March 17 meeting. Basis of Recommendation: 1. The Richfield-Bloomington Watershed Management District Board of Commissioners is to hold an annual meeting each year at a time and place determined by the Chair. 2. The meeting has been scheduled on the first available date for all parties and at a time to allow all parties to attend other meetings later in the evening. Alternative Recommendation: None. Discussion/Decision Mode: The annual meeting of the Board of Commissioners for the Richfield-Bloomington Watershed Management Organization will be held at 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 17, 1997, at Richfield City Hall. Due to other commitments of the Board of Commissioners, the meeting is expected to adjourn at 6:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jam . Prosser City anager • JDP:cak Attachments • AGENDA • • 1. Call to order and introductions 2. Approval of minutes of March 4, 1996 3. Review and approval of agenda 4. Election of officers 1997 Chair: Richfield 1997 Vice-Chair: Bloomington 1997 Secretary: Bloomington 1997 Treasurer: Richfield 5. Appointment of Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director 1997 Executive Director Jim Gates 1997 Assistant Executive Director Mike Eastling 6. 1996 Executive Director's Report 7. Old Business A. Richfield Lake boundary change - status B. Pesticide/Herbicide use at Bach m ans/Lynda le Garden Center C. NPDES D. Wetland Conservation Act - update E. Watershed Management Plans a. Local b. RBWMO-1999 8. New Business A. 77th Street/Wood Lake Outlet - completed B. Richfield Lake Outlet - completed C. 79th/80th Street D. Met Center E. Meridian Crossings 9. Annual Report 10. Public Notice 11. Insurance - $2,294 (each City pay half) 12. Adjournment RICHFIELD-BLOOMINGTON WATER MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION Meeting #13 March 4, 1996 Bloomington City Hall The annual meeting of the Richfield-Bloomington Water Management Organization was called to order by Chairman Vern Wilcox at 5:30 p.m. Item #1. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS MEMBERS PRESENT: Vern Wilcox, Chair, Bloomington; Russ Susag, Secretary, Richfield; Susan Rosenberg, Richfield; Don Priebe, Richfield; Joyce Henry, Bloomington; Marty Kirsch, Mayor of Richfield; Peggy Ramthun, Bloomington; Gene Winstead, Bloomington; Alisa Heintzeman, Bloomington; Carol Houle, Mayor of Bloomington; and Ann Lenczewski, Treasurer, Bloomington arrived at 5:45 p.m. STAFF PRESENT: Michael Eastling, Executive Director, Richfield; Tim Gates, Assistant Executive Director, Bloomington; Mark Bernhardson, City Manager, Bloomington; JimProsser, City Manager, Richfield; Tom Foley, Transportation Engineer, Richfield; Charlie Honchell, Director of Public Works, Bloomington; Dave Ornstein, City Attorney, Bloomington; Scott Thureen, Drainage Engineer, Bloomington. The Chair Wilcox welcomed all guests from Richfield Item #2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MARCH 6,1995 M/Susag, S/Priebe, and all present voting ave, to approve the minutes of March 6. 1995, annual meeting as presented. Motion carried 13-0. Item #3 REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF AGENDA M/Priebe, S/Rosenberg, and all present voting ave. to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 13-0. 0 Item #4 ELECTION OF OFFICERS 0 M/Houle, S/Ramthun nominating the following slate: Vern Wilcox Chair, Ann Lenczewski, Treasurer, Russ Susag as Secretary. Michael Sandahl as Vice Chair, and all present voting aye. Motion carried 13-0. Item #5 APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR M/Houle, S/Lenczewski, moved the appointment Michael Eastling as Executive Director and Jim Gates, Assistant Executive Director and all present voting aye. Motion carried 13-0. Item #6 RICHFIELD LAKE BOUNDARY CHANGE - STATUS This discussion included Michael Eastling providing a map on the monitor showing the areas of Richfield and Bloomington affected by the boundary change. Mr. Eastling referred to the storm sewer pipe that goes along I-494. The Richfield Lake Drainage Area was approved for inclusion in the Richfield Bloomington Watershed Management Organization three years ago. The Richfield Lake Drainage Area actually flows to Wood Lake and hence outlets into the I-494 storm sewer pipe which eventually flows into the ]Minnesota River. Richfield Lake previously did not have an outlet. The Richfield Lake Basin will now outlet to Wood Lake. Previously the Richfield Lake Area was included in the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District boundary even though there was no outlet provided for Richfield Lake. Grass Lake in the northwest quadrant of 35W and 62 Crosstown outlets to Richfield Lake. There is some question as to whether the Grass Lake drainage area should be included within the boundary of the Richfield Bloomington Watershed Management Organization. Negotiations with the City of Minneapolis and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District are continuing. Their preference is to have the Grass Lake watershed area included in the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. For administrative purposes it would be more beneficial to have the boundary on the city limits of Richfield and Minneapolis. Mr. Eastling stated that he would have liked to have a definitive decision from the 1Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. This was not available for this meeting. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District has yet to approve the permit for the construction outlet from Richfield Lake. The Watershed District also has not approved the City of Richfield storm water management plan. The possibility exists that the plan approval will not commence until they approve the outlet from Richfield Lake into Wood Lake. Mr. Eastling stated that it is hoped within the month the City of Minneapolis, the City of Richfield, and Minnehaha Creek Watershed District can finalize a petition to allow Grass Lake to continue to drain into Richfield Lake. There was a discussion as to what the City of Minneapolis and Minnehaha Creek Watershed District could approve around Grass Lake that would significantly impact Richfield Lake and therefore Wood Lake. It is imperative to have an agreement in place to define what is allowed to flow into Richfield Lake. There was discussion of actual drainage areas flowing from the City of Edina and the City of Minneapolis actually flowing to Richfield. It was stated that the Richfield Bloomington Watershed Management Organization does not have taxing authority and thus the actual drainage areas would not add or detract financially from the Richfield Bloomington WMO. There was a discussion regarding Bachman's and the Lyndale Carden Center. It was questioned whether pesticides and herbicides are flowing directly to the storm sewer system. Mr. Eastling stated that they would 2 probably have an NPDES permit for Industrial Discharge from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency at the present time. Mr. Eastling will investigate the question and contact Ms. Heintzeman. The storm sewer would drain from the garden center to Richfield Lake thence to Wood Lake and then is pumped to the Minnesota Department Transportation System which flows down to the airport flume and into the Minnesota River. The storm water does not flow into the Bloomington storm sewer system at all. Mr Wilcox stated that no further action is required on this item. The discussion was for informational purposes only. Item #7 NPDES PERMIT UPDATE Mr. Eastling stated that a portion the City of Richfield close to Legion Lake (located near Highway 62 Crosstown and Cedar Avenue) eventually flows into Mmnehaha Creek and therefore drains into Minneapolis storm sewer system. The City of Minneapolis, being a city of over 250,000, was required to apply for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit for municipal storm water discharge into the waters of the United States. The City of Richfield is a co-permitee on that permit as a result of the Legion Lake drainage area flowing into the City of Minneapolis. The NPDES permits have a life of five years once they are issued. The City of Minneapolis has not received action on their permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency or the Environmental Protection Agency. The status of the Clean Water Act was also discussed. It was stated that the Clean Water Act will probably not be reauthorized in this session of Congress. At the present time cities with a population greater than 100,000 are required to apply for an NPDES permit for Municipal Discharge. This was an NPDES update and no action is required. Item #8 WETLAND CONSERVATION ACT UPDATE Jim Gates stated that the Wetland Conservation Act was passed in 1991 by our State Legislature. From January 1, of 1992 to January 1, of 1994 the state functioned on an interim program regarding the Wetland Conservation Act. This involved a 1:1 replacement for wetlands impacted. The rules that are now in place require a minimum of a 2:1 replacement. There have been numerous suggestions for improvement to the Wetland Conservation Act. A number of proposals have been brought to the Legislature without success. The Board of Water and Soil Resources and others tried to obtain revisions to the Wetland Conservation Act very late in last year's legislative session. The revisions were not approved by the legislature. At the present time there seems to be a consensus among the organizations and the Board of Water and Soil is Resources regarding revisions to the rules enacting the Wetland Conservation Act. Most of the proposed changes to the rules are administrative in nature to allow the entities and organizations that are implementing the Wetland Conservation Act to function more easily. Some of the changes are revisions to the definition to 3 the agricultural land, revising the deminimus impact to wetlands depending on what wetlands remain in your watershed, process streamlining, and other revisions that make the rules easier to implement. Item #9 WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLANS Michael Eastling stated that the local plan for the City of Richfield has been completed and is out for review at the present time. The Richfield Bloomington Watershed Management Organization plan was previously targeted to have a revision completed by 1/1/96. The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) has since proposed a revised schedule for the second iteration of Watershed District and Watershed Management Organization plans. They have a minimum of 46 plans to review so BWSR staggered the completion dates for these plans. The Richfield Bloomington WMO plan revision is now to be completed by 1/1/99. The City of Bloomington overall storm water management plan is on going. Is estimated the plan will be completed in late 1996 -or in 1997. Item #10 PROJECTS Wood Lake Outlet Mike Eastling discussed the Wood Lake outlet. The pipe is 108" in diameter and involves cuts of 40 feet or more to flow line of the pipe. In some instances the pipe was jacked to save the front yards and homes adjacent to the pipe. The storm sewer pipe being constructed at the present time involves two storm sewer lines. One drains into Wood Lake while the other is the outlet from Wood Lake. The outlet will eventually drain into the I494 system and then to the Minnesota River. Richfield Lake Outlet Another project discussed was the Richfield Lake outlet. This new pipe will drain from Richfield Lake to Wood Lake. This project provides an outlet from the Richfield Lake drainage area. Previously with the flooding problems that the City of Richfield has had around Richfield Lake, portable pumps and overland discharge had to be implemented so homes were not threatened by storm water. The Nature Center staff of Wood Lake have been very cooperative in conjunction with the Wood Lake improvements. As part of the process they are reestablishing some prairie grass region to enhance the Nature Center. 79th/80th Street Corridor Improvement Project. is fun Gates updated the organization on the 79th/80th Street Corridor Project. The City of Bloomington is in the process of constructing a parallel arterial to I494 very similar to the 77th Street project in the City of Richfield. The City of Bloomington has completed the environmental analysis for the 79/80th Street corridor 4 from Normandale Boulevard to 34th Avenue. The City of Bloomington had received two federal appropriations for construction on two segments of the corridor. One appropriation is the area between Ncollet to Portland. This appropriation is scheduled for 1997. The second appropriation includes the area from Wahnart or Chicago Avenue to Old Cedar Avenue appropriated for 1998. The City of Bloomington has applied for additional sections within the 79th/80th Street Corridor from Xerxes Avenue to 34th Avenue. The last solicitation for federal assistance was for the years 1999 and 2000. At the present time the City of Bloomington has not heard whether those applications were successful in securing additional appropriations. Met Center Mark Bernhardson updated the membership on the status of the Met Center. The Kelly property west of the Mall of America was given to Mall of America Corporation as an inducement for a significant.completion of the Mall. This area is approximately 32 acres in size, and was to be the place for their 2nd Phase Development. The Kelly property falls under the state protection zone for the airport expansion. Mall of America representatives, the City of Bloomington and other government organizations have been working to see if the development rights can be moved from the Kelly site over to the Met Center Site. Negotiations are ongoing with the Sports Facilities Commission. The Mall is also considering potential sale of the adjoining lands to the Airport. This is a fairly complex operation. Currently the agencies must go to the legislature to obtain legislative authority to transfer the taxing increment financing rights from the Kelly site over to the Met Center site. The Mall of America anticipates a similar amount of development of 4 to 7 million square feet on either site. From a stand point of drainage, a 2 acre NURP pond would be required to serve the Met Center site. If development occurred on the Kelly site, the pond could be 1/3 to a 1/4 less. We anticipate that it will be a year or two, if everything went well, before the actual construction would begin. Meridian Crossings Project Jim Prosser updated the membership on the status of the Meridian Crossings Project. The 7 acre site at I-35W and 1494, commonly referred to as the Cloverleaf property, is proposed to be redeveloped. Towle Corporation is proposing two office buildings on the site. When Richfield looked at the design of the commercial area between Lyndale and I-35W, storm water control was evaluated through the system that is now under construction. The proposal is still in the preliminary stage. It was heard at the planning commission last week. Mike Eastling commented to that there is a wetland in the Meridian Crossings that is proposed to be removed and mitigating with some land behind the water plant at Portland and Crosstown. An area that has been used to store spent lime from the City's softening process maybe restored to mitigate the Meridian Crossings impact. Richfield has a new mechanical process for removing the spent lime thus minimizing the lime waste. The Legion Lake area is managed as a recreation area, and wildlife area and thus would benefit from the mitigation. Richfield can now restore the former spent lime pools to high quality wetland. The restoration would be at least twice the size of the wetland impacted with the Meridian Crossings Project. 9 Item #11 ANNUAL REPORT Mike Eastling discussed the contents of the annual report. The annual report contains the information discussed at this meeting. M/Priebe, S/Kirch to approve the annual report, all voting aye. Motion carried 13-0. Item #12 PUBLIC NOTICE Enclosed in the agenda materials is the Public Notice required for the Richfield Bloomington Watershed Management Organization. The Public Notice notifies the public in the Richfield and Bloomington area of what the Richfield Bloomington WMO does. It states that most of the work is completed by staff of each city. M/Priebe, S/Kirch to approve the Public Notice, all voting Ue. Motion carried 13-0. Item #13 Insurance The Richfield Bloomington Watershed Management Organization is a separate organization from each city council. Therefore liability insurance is required for actions by the Richfield Bloomington Watershed Management Organization. In the past each city paid half of the annual premium for the insurance. The premium for the annual insurance for this year was $2,294.00. M/Houle, S/Rosenberg approving the payment of the insurance, and all voting ave. Motion carried 13-0. Other Business Charlie Honchell commended group for its efficiency and fiscal constraints in accomplishing what other Watershed Management Organizations take thousands of dollars and many hours of staff time to accomplish. Vern Wilcox also commended staff Item #14 ADJOURN M/Houle, S/Priebe, moved to adjourn. and all voting a e? to adjourn the meeting at 6:23 p.m. Motion carried 13-0. 6 RICHFIELD/BLOOMINGTON WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION 1996 ANNUAL REPORT Table of Contents 1. Financial Report II. Activity Report (Subsections of this report are lettered to be consistent with Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) rules 8410.0150 to allow easy reference.) A. Membership B. Staff C. 1996 Work Plan D. 1997 Work Plan E. Permits, Variances and Enforcement F. Water Quality Monitoring G. Local Plans H. Information Program 1. Solicitation for Interest for Consultant Services J. Expenditures K. Wetland Banking Richfield/Bloomington Water Management Organization 1996 Annual Report Page 2 FINANCIAL REPORT The RBWMO has not expended or accrued funds during the fiscal year ending December 31, 1996. Therefore, no financial or audit reports are necessary. Richfield and Bloomington budgeted and expended over $0.7 million and $2.6 million in their respective storm drainage utilities in 1996 to manage and control storm water. IL ACTIVITY REPORT A. MEMBERSHIP Name Representing Alisa Heintzeman Bloomington Joyce Henry Bloomington Coral Houle Bloomington Martin Kirsch Richfield Ann Lenczewski, Treasurer Bloomington Donald Priebe Richfield Peggy Ramthun Bloomington Susan Rosenberg Richfield Michael Sandahl, Vice-Chair Richfield Russ Susag, Secretary Richfield Vern Wilcox, Chair Bloomington Gene Winstead Bloomington 1996 Outgoing Members Donald Priebe 1997 Incoming Members Kristal Stokes Richfield members can be contacted at: Richfield City Hall 6700 Portland Avenue South Richfield, MN 55423 Phone: 861-9700 Bloomington members can be contacted at: Bloomington City Hall 2215 W. Old Shakopee Road is Bloomington, MN 55431 Phone: 948-8700 • Richfield/Bloomington Water Management Organization 1996 Annual Report Page 3 B. STAFF Executive. Director: Assistant Executive Director: Michael Eastling Richfield City Engineer 6700 Portland Avenue South Richfield, MN 55423 Phone: 861-9792 Jim Gates Bloomington Deputy Director of Public Works 2215 W. Old Shakopee Road Bloomington, MN 55431 Phone: 948-8700 The City staffs for both cities cooperate to provide necessary staff support for the WMO. C. 1996 WORK PLAN • Following 1991 Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR) approval of the RBWMO plan and direction that the member cities administer the plan, the storm water management efforts of each City were prepared for and incorporated into the City code of each municipality. Appropriate elements of the plan are or will be incorporated in their respective Watershed Management Plans (WMP) for each City. These plans will not be finalized until all the WMO's of which each City is a member had their WMP approved by BWSR. State law allows cities two years following the approval of the last WMO WMP within their boundary for each City to complete their storm water management plan. Richfield completed their City-wide storm water management plan and had it approved by the Richfield City Council on February 27, 1995. The City of Bloomington is preparing their City-wide storm water management plan. Both cities have status as Local Government Units (LGU) from BWSR for the purpose of the Wetland Conservation Act of 1991 implementation. In addition to the regular review and permitting afforded the cities, both cities have storm water utilities which provide a reliable funding source for storm water management activities. During 1996, the City of Bloomington revised fee structure for their Storm Water Utility to include a water quality component as well as a water quantity component. The rates for each component vary depending on land use. Bloomington reviewed the City Code pertaining to the Storm Water Utility and implemented these revisions the second quarter of 1996. Richfield/Bloomington Water Management Organization 1996 Annual Report Page 4 Also during 1996, the City of Bloomington completed a draft of the Bloomington Draft Comprehensive Wetland Management Plan. The plan has been submitted to the appropriate review agencies. The plan identifies, types and provides management criteria for each wetland in the City. The City of Richfield completed construction of outlets to both Wood Lake and Richfield Lake in 1996. The completed projects connect Richfield Lake to Wood Lake and Wood Lake to the 1-494 drainage system to the Minnesota River. Discussions with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD), the City of Minneapolis, the Board of Water and Soil Resources continued to finalize the petition to move the Richfield Lake watershed from the MCWD to RBWMO. The petition for a watershed boundary revision is still pending. The Grass Lake basin in-Minneapolis is tributary to Richfield Lake and could be included in the proposed boundary change. However, the City of Minneapolis has expressed a desire to leave the Grass Lake basin in the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. The City of Minneapolis and the City of Richfield (on behalf of the RBWMO) are negotiating an agreement for the continued use of the pipe connecting Grass and Richfield Lakes. 0 D. 1997 WORK PLAN The City of Richfield will be continuing dredging of Wood Lake in the winter of 1997. The project was designed to re-create the environmental features that attract a wider variety of ducks than are now present, as well as to provide for increased storm water storage capacity. In addition to achieving these goals, the project creates new treatment basins that will pre-treat storm water entering the Nature Center, remove sediment and store that sediment in such a way as to make it easier to clean in the future. The City of Richfield is also negotiating with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) for the treatment of storm water from the 1-35W project. A treatment pond adjacent to Richfield Lake is likely. The City of Bloomington continues to work on the Comprehensive Storm Water Management Plan of which the Wetland Management Plan will be a large part. Water quality monitoring will continue at a number of sites in the City of Bloomington. Analysis of the samples collected will be completed by the Bloomington Lab located at the City Water Treatment Plant. This lab received EPA certification in 1996. The City of Bloomington is initiating a study of the Smith Pond drainage basin. This pond is a major component of the RBWMO drainage area. Plans will include provisions for water quality as well as enhancement to the pond and area adjacent. Richfield/Bloomington Water Management Organization 1996 Annual Report Page 5 E. PERMITS, VARIANCES AND ENFORCEMENT Bloomington had 11 actions pursuant to their status as an LGU for administration of the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA). There were three Technical Evaluation Panels convened during 1996. Richfield had one action pursuant to their status as an LGU for the WCA. F. WATER QUALITY MONITORING Bloomington and Richfield will continue to monitor storm water quality in 1997 with sampling equipment. RBWMO agreed by resolution to cooperate with Met Council and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in their efforts to meet their commitment to the EPA to reduce non-point pollution to the Minnesota River by 40%. Both cities continue to work toward that goal. G. LOCAL PLANS Richfield's plan is complete and being reviewed by the affected watershed management organizations. Bloomington's local plans will be finalized upon approval of the remaining Watershed Management Plans for the watershed districts and watershed management organizations in Bloomington. H. INFORMATION PROGRAM A copy of the publication in the Bloomington and Richfield Sun is attached. 1. SOLICITATION FOR INTEREST FOR CONSULTANT SERVICES No consultant services were used by the RBWMO in 1996. J. EXPENDITURES There were no RBWMO expenditures in 1996. K. WETLAND BANKING Richfield has started one wetland banking project. Bloomington had no wetland banking project in 1996. • Legal Notice CITY OF RICHFIELD and CITY OF BLOOMINGTON NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF THE RICHFIELD/BLOOMINGTON WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Richfield City Council and the Bloomington City Council, the Commissioners of the Richfield/Bloomington Water Management Organization, will conduct the Annual Meeting of the Richfield/Bloomington Watershed Management Organization on Monday, March 17, 1997 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of the City of Richfield, 6700 Portland Avenue South, Richfield, Minnesota. All persons interested are hereby notified to be present and they will be heard. BY ORDER OF THE RICHFIELD/BLOOMINGTON WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION MICHAEL EASTLING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR a Publish: Richfield SUN February 26, 1997 Bloomington SUN February 26, 1997 <storm>LEGAL-97 0 PUBLIC NOTICE CONCERNING THE RICHFIELD-BLOOMINGTON WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION The Richfield-Bloomington Watershed Management Organization (RBWMO) is a result of a joint powers agreement between the cities of Richfield and Bloomington. The organization was established to manage natural water drainage, retention, and storm water management occurring in approximately a 6.8 square mile, contiguous area that comprises portions of eastern Bloomington and southeastern Richfield. A map of the area is shown below: (map of area to be inserted here) The intent of the organization is to address water drainage issues within the watershed that are inter-governmental, rather than local (specific to one community or the other), in scope. Goals of the organization include the following: • Protecting, preserving, and using natural surface and groundwater storage and retention systems; • Minimizing public capital expenditures needed to correct flooding and water quality problems; • Identifying and planning for opportunities to effectively protect and improve surface and groundwater quality; • Establishing more uniform local policies and official controls for surface and groundwater management; • Preventing erosion of soil into surface water systems; • Protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat and water recreational facilities; and • Securing the other benefits associated with the proper management of surface and ground water within the Richfield-Bloomington Watershed. The RBWMO meets at least once a year in the first 90 days of each year, at which time the Board elects officers and conducts necessary business. The annual meeting is open to the public. Commissioners of the RBWMO Board are all members of the Richfield and Bloomington City Councils. Current members of the RBWMO Board are as follows: NAME REPRESENTING Alisa Heintzeman Bloomington Joyce Henry Bloomington Coral Houle Bloomington Martin Kirsch Richfield Ann Lenczewski, Treasurer Bloomington • Donald Priebe Richfield Peggy Ramthun Bloomington Susan Rosenberg Richfield Michael Sandahl, Vice-Chair Richfield Russ Susag, Secretary Richfield Vern Wilcox, Chair Bloomington Gene Winstead Bloomington Michael Eastling, City Engineer for Richfield, is the current (1996) Executive Director of the RBWMO. Jim Gates, Deputy Director of Public Works for Bloomington, is the 1996 Assistant Executive Director. The RBWMO has no direct expenses. Each city budgets and expends funds in their respective storm drainage utilities to cover costs associated with watershed drainage. The RBWMO's Watershed Management Plan was approved by the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) in 1991. Since the plan has been approved by the RBWMO Board of Commissioners, the Plan will remain effective until 1996. The plan discusses the physical environment, land use and development in the RBWMO area; discusses geologic and hydrologic features of the watershed district; sets forth a management plan for the district, including the water qualities that will be sought and opportunities for improvement; describes the objectives and policies of the RBWMO; and sets forth an implementation program consistent with the management plan. Both cities serve as the Local Governmental Unit in their respective communities for enforcement of the interim regulations of the State Wetland Conservation Act of 1991. Richfield completed their City-wide storm water management plan and had it approved by the Richfield City Council on February 27, 1995. The City of Bloomington is working toward the completion of their storm water management plan. Bloomington reviewed the fee structure and related ordinances of their Storm Water Utility to include a water quality component as well as water quantity component. Revisions implemented in the second quarter of 1996 vary depending on land use. Richfield's petition for a Richfield Lake boundary change is still pending. Richfield and Bloomington residents can obtain additional information about the RBWMO, view the Watershed Management Plan, and/or contact their RBWMO commissioner by calling their city halls. Addresses and phone numbers for both locations are listed below: Richfield City Hall 6700 Portland Avenue South Richfield, MN 55423 861-9700 Bloomington City Hall 2215 W. Old Shakopee Road Bloomington, MN 55431 948-8700 For publication in the Richfield Sun March 26, 1997 For publication in the Bloomington Sun March 26, 1997 • • W 76th O