2001-098 Council Resolution - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Met Council states that the flood plain of George Watch Lake in the Regional Park should be avoided instead of being filled. City response: The EAW states that 90 cubic yards of floodplain fill is proposed on the site. Review and approval by the Rice Creek Watershed District will be required. Floodplain fill will require the creation of compensatory storage. The City will include the RCWD permit as a condition of approval for the project. • Met Council states that Council staff is concerned that the applicant has not determined the effects of projected increased volume of stormwater discharge on the Rice Creek Regional Park Reserve wetlands and George Watch Lake. Increased water levels in the park may significantly alter shoreline plant ecology and habitat. Due to the potential for significant alteration to plant communities in a regional park reserve, it is our opinion that an analysis of water level changes in the park reserve due to increased runoff from the site must be completed before an EIS determination can be made. City response: The watershed that drains into the chain of lakes encompasses a very large area, perhaps as much as 100 square miles. As noted in several comments above, increased runoff volume from development is a watershed -wide issue. Impacts are not limited to this project. It is unlikely that the volume of runoff from the site will impact the vast acreage of lakes and wetland systems in the 2600 acre park reserve. Nor can the impacts of runoff from this project be considered to be significant, given the immense area that makes up the watershed that drains to the chain of lakes in the park reserve. • Met Council is concerned about the potential for plugging of the two small diameter outlet pipes of the large detention basin. City response: The City shares this concern. The City is requiring redesign of the outlet to include a larger diameter pipe. Lino Lakes Environmental Board • At its meeting June 27, 2001, the Board recommended an analysis of impacts on wetlands and lakes from increased runoff volume and the increase of phosphorous runoff loads. City response: As noted in several comments, the size of the project and the amount of runoff from it is insignificant compared to the watershed that drains into the chain of lakes. Any analysis of runoff impacts would need to address the larger watershed. This issue and the larger watershed is beyond the jurisdiction of the City of Lino Lakes. The RCWD is the jurisdictional unit with authority for watershed planning. The City has a surface water management plan that must be consistent with the watershed management plan prepared by the Rice Creek Watershed District. Responses to Comments On Lino Lakes Marketplace EAW page 10 of 11