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City of Lino Lakes SWMP | February 8, 2013 Draft | 30 Creeks The City’s river and str eam resources are charac terized by three major stream systems : Rice Creek, and two of its tributaries , Hardwood Creek and Clearwater Creek . A network of d itches and stormsewer drain to these streams; the ditch and stormsewer system is discussed in Section 3.7. Rice Creek , Hardwood Creek and Clearwater Creek join at Peltier Lake with a combined drainage area of 70 square miles (44,800 acres). Hardwood Creek, with a total drainage area of 28 square miles, originates in Washington County’s Rice Lake at a normal lake elevation of 920 feet and flows to Peltier Lake at an approximate elevation of 884 feet . Clearwater Creek originates in White Bear Lake and flows into Bald Eagle Lake, which has a normal elevation of about 884 feet . From there, it proceeds to Centerville Lake and t hen to Peltier Lake. Two creek reaches are listed in the 2010 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Draft 303d list of impaired waters. The reach of Clearwater Creek between Bald Eagle Lake and Peltier Lake was listed in 2002 for fish bioassessments, and in 2006 for aquatic macroinvertebrate assessments. A TMDL for these assessments will be conducted during 2013 -2016 to determine the stressors for these impairments. The reach of Hardwood Creek between Hwy 61 and Peltier Lake was listed in 2002 for fish bioass essments. Based on a TMDL started in 2003, this listing was updated as a dissolved oxygen stressor on aquatic life in 2004. Wetlands Wetlands are habitats where water saturation is the primary controlling factor of the environment and associated plant a nd animal life. Wetlands occur between upland and aquatic environments where the water table is at or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by shallow water that may be up to six feet deep . The single feature that most wetlands share i s soil or substrate that is at least periodically saturated with or covered by water. This saturation creates physiological conditions requiring special adaptations by plants and animals for life in an oxygen -d eprived (anaerobic) environment . Lino Lakes’ w etlands are widespread and these areas often help mitigate excess storm water runoff peak flows. Wetland s provide numerous direct benefits depending on the type of wetland and the season. Examples of such benefits are : - Floodwater storage and retention. S nowmelt or storm water may be temporarily stored in wetlands. This, in turn, slows the rate of water outflow from the wetland compared to inflow to the wetland by extending lower outflow flow rates over a longer period of time. - Nutrient assimilation. Wetla nd plants absorb nutrients during their growth and development that results in cleaner water leaving the wetland than came into it. - Sediment entrapment. Sediments have time to settle out when the flow of water is slowed down, as previously described. - Grou nd water recharge. Some wetlands collect and retain surface waters in ground water recharge areas. - Low flow augmentation. A benefit of flow attenuation is that the steadier water outflow rates can reduce the impacts of short -term precipitation deficiencie s in downstream rivers and streams. - Shoreland anchoring and erosion control. Wetland vegetation can reduce shoreline and bank erosion by anchoring the soil from the forces of wave action. - Fish and wildlife habitat. Many species of fish and wildlife spend part or all of their life cycle in wetland habitats used for breeding, feeding, cover protection, or brood rearing.