01-11-2023 Workshop Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Fischer and Members of City Council FROM: Bill Dircks, Public Works Director DATE: January 11, 2023 RE: Owasso Basin Flood Risk Reduction – Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District From 2014 through 2019, the Twin Cities saw unprecedented precipitation which eventually led to lots of high water and flooding issues throughout the metro area. Little Canada was not immune to water issues and had one of the most notorious ones with flooding of Twin Lake. The high water led the Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District (RWMWD) to take a look at its entire management area and see what improvements could be made to decrease the likelihood of flooding in the most prone areas. One of the areas of focus that rose to the top is the Owasso Basin area, which is located between the Ryan Industrial Park and North Star Estates manufactured home park off of Country Drive and South Owasso Boulevard. The basin is a chokepoint of sorts that holds water coming in from the north and then releases it to Gervais Creek to head south and eventually into Gervais Lake. The basin was constructed in the early 1990s to try and protect the North Star manufactured home park from frequent flooding events that occurred following most large rain events. There are still flooding issues in the park and the RWMWD has been working with City staff since 2020 on possible ways to reduce the flood risk in the park. Staff has provided information on the homes in the park, including a survey of actual elevations of flood-prone homes so the RWMWD had accurate information while performing modeling of the area. Representatives from Barr Engineering, the consulting engineer for RWMWD, will be at the workshop to provide background on the area and go through potential projects that could reduce the amount of homes that are prone to flooding.