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HomeMy WebLinkAbout#23 - MS4 Annual Report STAFF REPORT DATE: June 16, 2020 REGULAR AGENDA ITEM: Public Meeting for MS4 Permit Program & Accept the 2019 MS4 Annual Report SUBMITTED BY: Jack Griffin, City Engineer REVIEWED BY: Kristina Handt, City Administrator Marty Powers, Public Works Director ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: As part of the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) Permit Program, the City Council is asked to conduct the annual public meeting. Following the meeting and public input, should the City Council approve the 2019 MS4 Annual Report? BACKGROUND: The MS4 General Permit is mandated by federal regulations under the Clean Water Act and administered by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. A municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) is a system of conveyances (roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, and storm drains) owned by a municipality. The MS4 program gives owners or operators of MS4’s approval to discharge storm water to lakes, rivers and wetlands in Minnesota. The MS4 General Permit focuses on reducing the pollution that enters these public systems and discharges to wetlands, streams and lakes (“waters of the state”). By federal rule, storm water systems in urban areas are labeled Mandatory MS4s. The City of Lake Elmo is a Mandatory MS4 City. As a MS4 City, Lake Elmo was required to obtain and comply with a National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) storm water permit. To meet these requirements the City prepared and implemented a five-year Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP) beginning in 2006 and ending in 2010. The MPCA reissued a new five-year program that began August 1, 2013. The 2013 permit expired in 2018 with cities continuing to operate under the 2013 permit until such time as the MPCA issues a new permit. A draft permit has been issued and a public comment period was held from November 2019 through January 2020. It is anticipated that the permit will be finalized in the next few months. The SWPPP specifies and outlines a series of best management practices intended to satisfy the permit requirements for each of the six minimum control measures. The six minimum control measures are: 1. Public Education and Outreach 2. Public Involvement and Participation 3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination 4. Construction Site Storm Water Controls 5. Post-Construction Storm Water Management for development and redevelopment 6. Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: As part of the on-going permit requirements as a mandatory MS4 City, Staff has prepared the 2019 MS4 Annual Report and will present a summary report to the City Council and general public. The City must hold an Annual Public Meeting to encourage public discussion and participation regarding its storm water quality and steps it is taking to address the MS4 Permit requirements. Public input received will be considered for updating the City’s Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP) and the meeting minutes will be incorporated into the City’s final report. The 2019 MS4 Annual Report must be submitted to the MPCA by June 30, 2020. A copy of the City’s Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP) is available on the City website. RECOMMENDATION: Staff is recommending that the City Council conduct the Annual Public Meeting required by the MS4 Permit and receive public input and comments. After receiving public comment, it is recommended that the City Council accept the MS4 Annual Report for 2019 and authorize staff to submit this report to the MPCA by June 30, 2020. The recommended motion for the action is as follows: “Move to accept the MS4 Annual Report for 2019 and authorize staff to submit the Report to the MPCA.” ATTACHMENTS: 1. EMWREP Annual Report – Executive Summary (full report available upon request). 2. City of Lake Elmo 2019 MS4 Annual Report. 4 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PUBLIC EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT PUBLIC EDUCATION 4600 face-to-face interactions with the public at workshops and events 17 Community Events 15 Workshops 12 Presentations 8 Classes for Water Stewards 3 Clean-Up Events 52 weekly articles in local newspapers: www.eastmetrowater.org 5 VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT Master Water Stewards 13 trained in 2019 (20 total) 50-hours of training + capstone project + 25-50 hours of volunteer support Organize raingarden clean-up events Join watershed district CACs Promote Adopt-a-Drain Promote BMP programs Attend community events Remove invasive species Plant native gardens and raingardens Grow trees for community plantings Adopt a Drain 285 drains adopted in Washington County since April 9981 drains adopted in the Twin Cities A partnership with Hamline University and Watershed Partners Residents help to prevent stormwater pollution by cleaning leaves, litter and sediment away from storm drains near their homes Adopt a Raingarden 55 raingardens adopted in Stillwater and Oak Park Heights Master Water Stewards Stephanie Wang and Anna Barker used the model to organize two raingarden clean-up events in Woodbury 100 volunteers engaged at clean-up events in Stillwater and Woodbury AIS Detectors 4 trained in 2019 (14 total) 8 hours of training + 25 hours of volunteer support 6 YOUTH EDUCATION 30 groundwater/watershed lessons taught to 4th grade students 5 Forest Lake Elementary 5 Lake Elmo Elementary 2 Newport Elementary 7 Oneka (Hugo) 4 Royal Oaks (Woodbury) 5 St. Peter’s (North St. Paul) 2 Wyoming Elementary Campus Greening: Valley Crossing (Woodbury) + Crestview (Cottage Grove) 8 outdoor family nature events; 4 informal youth programs; St. Croix Summit Teacher Workshop in Oakdale (Aug. 6) 7 OUTREACH SUPPORT FOR PARTNER PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS BMP & COST-SHARE PROGRAMS 6 Blue Thumb Workshops Wyoming – Hugo – Scandia – Oakdale - Lake Elmo - Cottage Grove 154 Workshop Attendees 193 Site Visits by WCD staff 116 lbs TP Total Phosphorus Reduction 29,793 lbs TSS Total Suspended Solids Reduction Downloadable calendar for Outlook and Google www.mnwcd.org/maintenance-guide BMP maintenance guidance – print materials www.mnwcd.org/adoptaraingarden 8 OUTREACH & AUDIENCE RESEARCH: AGRICULTURAL LANDOWNERS 12 Interviews 387 Survey Responses 95 Workshop Participants “One Watershed, One Plan” Listening Session Feb. 2, Scandia (45 attendees) Oriental bittersweet Oct. 10, Oakdale (10 attendees) Perennial Crops, Conservation Grazing and Conservation Planning Oct. 22, Scandia (30 attendees) Large acreage restoration Nov. 4, Stillwater (10 attendees) What do they want to do? soil health conservation easements physical projects cover crops convert cropland to natural areas repair gullies and ravines conservation plans transition cropland to hay or grazing install monitoring equipment in fields try new perennial crops MN Ag Water Quality Certification 9 EDUCATION SUPPORT FOR PARTNER PROJECTS Comfort Lake – Forest Lake WD Community Survey South Washington Trout Brook Project Signs Washington CD Board Tour Valley Branch WD 50th Anniversary Brown’s Creek WD Community Event Woodbury Wetland Outreach Forest Lake Shoreline Outreach County Groundwater Education 10 PROFESSIONAL TRAININGS FOR BUSINESS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMWREP provides professional training for businesses and local government through Stormwater U, NEMO, and partnerships with MN Extension, U of MN Erosion and Stormwater Management Program, MN Erosion Control Association (MECA), Fortin Consulting, St. Croix River Association, and MN Department of Natural Resources (DNR). PROFESSIONAL TRAININGS 4 SMART salting workshops Targeted outreach to contractors and businesses Cottage Grove - Forest Lake – Hugo – Oakdale - Stillwater – Woodbury Via direct mail, email, and in-person visits Presentations Minnesota Cities Stormwater Coalition (April 10) Water Summit (May 9) EWRI Conference (Aug. 6) St. Croix Research Rendezvous (Oct. 22) Washington County Water Consortium (Sept. 4 and Dec. 4) Coordination of monthly Watershed Partners meetings and workshops Planning support for Washington County Water Consortium 11 NEW MATERIALS AND RESOURCES In 2019, EMWREP developed dozens of new education materials for the Minnesota MS4 Toolkit, through a contract partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Completed resources can be accessed online at the MPCA Stormwater Wiki. We will continue to add new resources to the toolkit in 2020. Please refer to the full report for example images and materials lists.