07-14-1982 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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METROPOLITAN COUNCIL Suite 300 Metro Square Building, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 MEMORANDUM March 30, 1982 TO: Staff Concerned with Stormwater Management Issues FROM: Environmental Planning (Marcel Jouseau) SUBJECT: Summary of Levi - Merriam Storm Water Management Legislation The Governor has now signed into law the Levi - Merriam bill for Surface Water Management in the Metropolitan Area. Following is a synopsis of this new legislation, which took effect upon final enactment. I. General In general, the law requires that watershed management plans be prepared for almost all watersheds in the Metropolitan Area. Plans are to be prepared at two levels: the drainage basin or watershed level and the city or town level. The plans are to address runoff volumes as well as water quality. The costs of planning and of improvements are borne by the property owners within the watershed and the local unit of government. The law provides for the establishment of a watershed management organiza- tion (WMO) for each watershed in the Metropolitan Area. The WMO can be a watershed district created under M.S. Ch. 112, a joint board or the county. These WMOs must be established by Dec. 31, 1983, otherwise the county automatically becomes the WMO for watersheds wholly outside Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. For Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, the county must petition for the creation of a watershed district (M.S. 112) for each watershed wholly or partly in the county, if no organization has been created by the deadline. II. Authority of WMO 1. To prepare and adopt a watershed plan with statutorily prescribed contents. 2. To implement its plan. 3. To review and approve the local water management plans. 4. To regulate the use and development of land when the local unit of government does not have a plan or fails to implement it, or when a variance in the plan is requested, or when the WMO is authorized by the local unit of government it may require permits. 6 :3