10/27/2004 Env Bd Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Sinci25m _Posted on Wed, Jul. 21, 2004 River's health is a concern Runoff an issue as population booms BY LAURA YUEN Pioneer Press Apple Valley sits at the tip of just one crooked tributary that feeds into the Vermillion River. But despite that long- distance relationship, residents of the city do care about the health of the waterway — from trout that swim there to polluted runoff that suburbanites help create. Concern over the Vermillion evidently has spread beyond the people who fish or kayak on the trout stream or who live near it, said Kevin Bigalke, a member of the Vermillion Watershed Planning Commission. He organized a workshop Monday night that drew more than 70 Apple Valley and Rosemount residents alarmed by the threats of bacterial contamination downstream, habitat loss and flooding as the area becomes more populated. "Now, people who have never seen the Vermillion are beginning to say, 'I know it's a resource, and I know I'm contributing to it, for good or bad,' " said Bigalke, who hosted the event along with the Twin - Cities -based Friends of the Mississippi River and the city of Apple Valley. • • The watershed, or the land that drains into the Vermillion, comprises 335 square miles occupied by 150,000 residents. The population is expected to double by 2030. ne potential threat centers on rainwater. Typically,.it is filtered and absorbed by the ground but becomes a problem if it ifs off too many rooftops and too much asphalt and concrete before draining into the river. Not only do those surfaces at up the runoff — making it unsafe for trout — but they increase the pesticides, fertilizer and other pollutants in the water. The interactive workshop was the first to gather feedback before a joint - powers board that oversees the watershed leases a strategic plan in September. The plan will outline methods and rules intended to prevent further damage to the river. To pay for the measures, the plan also could call for.tax increases, which Dakota and Scott counties could levy on households in the watershed. Some Apple Valley residents wanted better education and cleanup of the stagnant Long and Farquar lakes — and were willing to pay for the cleanups through higher taxes, as long as they knew how the money would be spent. And some were seeing the bigger picture of the water system for the first time Monday. • Sue Cadwell came to address the buildup of algae in Long Lake, where she lives. But she didn't realize the seriousness of the problems facing the entire watershed. "Educating the public will be a big challenge," she said. "We need good information, so that everyday households (can learn), 'What can we do as individuals to improve that water system ?' " But City Administrator Tom Lawell noted that aerial photographs of the lakes have showed that cyclical "greening" comes and goes. Mayor Mary Hamann - Roland cheered an idea to create a pilot program to treat the lake, and.by doing so, make the Vermillion healthier. If all went well, the experiment could be replicated in other lakes and streams, she said. The river, which anglers have prized for its trophy trout, begins in New Market Township and flows northeast through Dakota County before dropping over a waterfall in Hastings. The river then joins the Mississippi near Red .Wing. A joint - powers board-of three county commissioners governs the watershed: Joe Harris and Paul Krause from Dakota and Bob Vogel from Scott. Although the board. gives the ultimate nod to watershed decisions, a planning commission made- of nine citizens from across the area proposes ideas and counsels the panel. ("me of the preliminary proposals include: • Retrofitting holding ponds so they infiltrate storm water. Gravel could be used to replace the clay bottoms of older, shallow ponds that are warmed by the sun and feed the river with water too hot for trout to survive. Providing incentives for new developments. A shopping -area developer could keep a portion of his parking lot grassy, where cars still could park in the busy season; a homeowner could be encouraged to build "rain gardens" — attractive gardens shaped to absorb the rain. • Upgrading faulty septic tanks, the biggest source of fecal contamination downstream. In the entire watershed, 2,800 of