07/25/2001 Env Bd Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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storage will be required through the planning period. Each of the 84 subwatersheds modeled in the RCWD's stormwater runoff study (outlined in Section 5, Flood Management Profiles) will be subject to one or the other of these two policies. The runoff policies are the only ones which are not tied into the 24 subwatersheds used for the primary planning efforts of this plan. The policy of the RCWD is to retain the present capacities of the existing drainage system. This is done to reduce costs necessary for possible remedial measures dictated by improper development. Objective B: Improve Water Quality The second major objective in the water management plan is to address water quality problems. The purpose of this objective is to improve the water quality of lakes, streams, and wetlands thereby improving habitat for fish and animals and protect water quality for drinking water purposes. In order to more fully describe this objective, five policies were developed. A policy of the RCWD is to reverse the upward trends observed in pollutants, especially nutrients and sediment loadings, into most of the lakes within the RCWD. This can be done through treatment or control of runoff quality. Minimum requirements have been set which closely follow Metropolitan Council standards. The RCWD has considerable experience and success with the use of natural wetlands to treat runoff, particularly in the southwestern portion of the watershed. Therefore, -a policy -to protect wetlands is viewed as an effective way to enhance water quality. The northern portion of the watershed lies outside of the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA) line, as delineated by the Metropolitan Council. Outside this line, wastewater treatment is accomplished through individual wastewater treatment systems, primarily septic tanks. The RCWD does not desire to directly regulate individual wastewater treatment systems. However, as a third policy, the RCWD does encourage municipalities to use the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Individual Sewage Treatment System Regulations as a model for local control. 4 -3 10/5/93