06-12-2002 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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B.) Wetlands must not be drained or filled, wholly or partially, unless replaced by either restoring or creating wetland areas of at least equal public value. Compensation, including the replacement ratio and quality of replacement should be consistent with the requirements outlined in the Board of Water and Soil Resources rules that implement the Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act of 1991 including any and all amendments to it. C.) Work in and around wetlands must be guided by the following principles in descending order of priority: 1.) Avoid both the direct and indirect impact of the activity that may destroy or diminish the wetland. 2.) Minimize the impact by limiting the degree or magnitude of the wetland related activity. 3.) Rectify the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the affected wetland environment with one of at least equal public value. 4.) Reduce or eliminate the adverse impact over time by preservation and maintenance operations during the life of the activity. 4.10 Vegetated Buffer Protection for Rivers Streams and Wetlands. one A.) At the minimum a vegetated buffer strip on each bank the width of either the _ year flood plain or one hundred (100) feet (forty (40) feet for non - Outstanding Resource Value Waters wetlands) whichever is larger, shall be provided. Tf possible, such a buffer strip shall consists of predevelopment native vegetation. Ideally for a river or stream, a tree canopy in the part of the buffer zone closest to the stream channel should be established. Buffer width shall be increased at least two (2) feet (four (4) feet for wetlands) for every (1) percent of slope of the surrounding land. Natural wetlands adjacent to rivers and streams are not counted as buffers, and therefore their widths are not counted as part of the channel's buffer strip. Such wetlands rate their own forty foot (40) plus vegetated buffer strip. (Commentary: When new buffer vegetation is planted, "native" vegetation is preferred, since some non - native plant species can out compete native species and create an undesirable mono - culture of decreased environmental value. Useful references are the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's publications "Buffer Zones" and "Soil Bioengineering.') 1.) Detailed buffer design is usually site specific. Therefore the city engineer can require a larger buffer that the minimum. 2.) For newly constructed buffer sites the design criteria should follow common principles and the example of nearby natural areas. The site should be examined for existing buffer zones and mimic the slope structure and vegetation as much as possible.