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Lino Lakes Local Water Management Plan 7 November 2018 – WSB Project No. 02988-500 1.2 Local Water Management Responsibilities and Related Agreements The City of Lino Lakes has not entered into any water resource management related agreements with its neighboring cities, Anoka County, RCWD, or the State of Minnesota. The City of Lino Lakes has a Joint Powers Agreement with VLAWMO, in which the City is designated as a signer and member of VLAWMO. The City of Lino Lakes is responsible for construction, maintenance, and other projects in or along the City's stormwater management system that are not considered part of a county or watershed district’s public drainage system. 1.3 Amendments to the Local Water Management Plan The City may need to revise this Plan prior to the next update for it to remain a useful long-term planning tool. Plan amendments will be needed if significant changes are required involving goals, policies, administrative procedures, funding or the capital improvement program, or if problems arise that are not addressed in the Plan. This Plan will remain in full effect through 2028 unless an updated plan is approved prior to that date. Technical information (i.e., from City-led studies and monitoring and new data from City partners) will require frequent updating. The City intends to post this updated information on the City website. Technical information that results in new action items will be incorporated into City operations through implementation of the City’s programs, projects, and watershed management strategies as appropriate. Generally, these technical updates and studies are considered part of the normal City operations consistent with the intent of this Plan and will not trigger a Plan amendment. However, when the new technical information or study findings result in a significant policy change, or the watershed district intends to initiate a program or construct a capital improvement not sufficiently identified in the Plan, a plan amendment will be required. All major amendments to the Plan that deviate from the existing Plan scope and direction will be submitted to RCWD and VLAWMO for review and approval. The review process is 60 days unless the City agrees to an extension of the review period. The Plan amendment will be submitted to the Metropolitan Council for a 45-day review to be incorporated into the review of the RCWD and VLAWMO. 1.4 Roles and Responsibilities Federal Coordination with federal agencies on water issues for the City of Lino Lakes often is with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and sometimes also with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The USACE regulate activities in navigable waters and wetlands. Therefore, coordination is required for activities that have the potential to affect wetland and lake systems in the City of Lino Lakes. The USACE issues permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and allow for approval of permitting and replacement plans that meet the requirements of Section 404 on a regional basis. Lino Lakes has submitted a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) with the USACE. The SAMP is implemented through a Programmatic General Permit (PGP) that includes special wetland regulatory conditions for the City of Lino Lakes. In summary, the PGP provides mitigation flexibility for impacts that are consistent with the SAMP. The EPA has delegated many of its responsibilities within Minnesota to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) including the administration and enforcement of National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination (NPDES) permits and the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program. FEMA’s mission is to support communities and first responders to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards. Most often in Lino Lakes, this translates to implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The MnDNR has assumed responsibility for most of the floodplain management roles through adopting state-wide higher standards and works directly with the City of Lino Lakes to update flood insurance rate maps and floodplain ordinances. The USGS collects data on stream flow, groundwater levels, and other information which is useful to the City in evaluating its resources. The USDA oversees the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency who provide technical services, conservation programs and funding to agricultural producers. In addition, the soils and technical data collected by the NRCS used by the City. The USFWS works to conserve and improve fish and wildlife and their habitat. NOAA, among other activities, collects weather and climate data used by the City for design and informational purposes. State On a state level, regulatory coordination related to water and natural resources includes addressing impaired waters, managing storm sewer systems and construction sites, managing shorelines, and a number of other areas. Agencies the City may coordinate with include the MPCA, MnDNR, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The MPCA oversees the programs addressing municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), construction site stormwater, industrial stormwater, impaired lakes and streams, feedlots, soil and groundwater contamination, and wastewater treatment. A number of these programs affect the City of Lino Lakes. The two main areas requiring coordination are the MS4 program and addressing impaired waters. The City’s stormwater system is designated as an MS4 by the MPCA. The City’s SWPPP was developed to address the requirements for MS4s. A permit re-issuance was approved in May 2013 and went into effect August 1, 2013. A number of TMDLs are in process and others have been completed to address impaired waters in Lino Lakes. These studies establish daily load limits for certain compounds that were found to contribute to the impairment. The City of Lino Lakes will likely have a wasteload allocation in the future that establishes the maximum allowed discharge of the regulated pollutant for each TMDL. The City of Lino Lakes will document information on a routine basis regarding new projects and programs that lead to load reductions needed to meet a TMDL. The MnDNR leads programs that regulate shoreline and floodplain development, groundwater use, and conducts various efforts to support water-based recreation and quality fisheries. The City has a shoreline and floodplain ordinance that is in compliance with the MnDNR’s standards. MnDOT manages the state’s transportation system including a number of highways in the City of Lino Lakes. Coordination with MnDOT is needed when an activity may impact a state highway or its right-of-way. The MDH works to address a number of health issues, but the primary area of coordination for the City is with the protection of drinking water resources including wellhead protection and drinking water treatment.
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