09/02/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • • Two specific project sites have been identified. These specific projects would entail eliminating the ditched conditions of the wetlands in these areas and restoring the hydrology to the wetlands by allowing more temporary and /or permanent ponding of water to occur. This could be accomplished in two ways. The ideal restoration strategy would be to eliminate and or restrict the ditch therefore forcing water up into the existing wetland areas. Due to the flatness of the system this would have effects beyond just the project sites and would require additional landowner coordination and assessment of nearby properties. Should the more holistic restoration strategy be deemed prohibitive, then the alternative strategy is shallow scraping (including reed canary grass rhizome removal) of a wide low -lying area to allow water to pool and return hydrology to the adjacent wetlands. The alternative strategy cost - benefit analysis will include wetland restoration credit opportunities. • It is recommended that road crossings of ACD -25 be discouraged in order to maintain a continuous corridor. It is also recommended that field crossings be eliminated or converted into trail crossings as development occurs. In some cases these crossing are serving as rate control features. At the time that they are proposed to be altered, downstream impacts would need to be assessed and a mitigation strategy would need to be developed if needed. • Wards Lake and Cedar Lake are currently controlled by ditched outlets. Management plans including outlet control structures and vegetation management should be considered. These plans will need to be coordinated with the DNR and should include citizen input. • Some stormwater- sensitive wetlands continue to be at risk even with the RMP standards. Specific analysis of their contributing catchments is needed. Middle Creek RMU RMP Future Conditions Recommendations: • Wetlands at risk from stormwater should be evaluated for reducing volume effects in the catchments. • A corridor gap was identified in the RMP; however, this identified gap is included in the city's greenway system. • The small segment of County Ditch 8 that is located in this area will be evaluated as part of the RCWD's ongoing Ditch Inventory Program. • No specific projects are proposed. Sherman RMU Existing Conditions Recommendations: • Stormwater- sensitive wetlands are at risk under current conditions. The City can examine volume reduction practices in the catchments for these sensitive wetlands. 10 -9