Item Description:
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Support for managing water flows in the Minnesota River Basin through increased water storage and other strategies and practices - offered by Commissioner Goettel
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Resolution:
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WHEREAS, A fraction the natural water storage that once existed on the landscape in the form of prairie potholes, wet meadows and shallow lakes in the Minnesota River Basin has been converted to dry usage; and
WHEREAS, ever-increasing impervious surfaces in municipal areas together with existing and increased agricultural drainage coupled with significantly increased precipitation patterns is dramatically increasing water flows in all our streams, lakes and rivers; and
WHEREAS, fast-rising, high water levels in rivers and streams flood adjacent low-lying areas, erode stream banks, create backups on existing tile and ditch systems, and increase sediment transfer downstream; and
WHEREAS, many acres of farm fields are flooded each year, sometimes multiple times each year, by river and stream flooding thereby preventing planting or destroying growing crops; and
WHEREAS, storing water in upstream areas of the landscape will mitigate and slow the amount of water moving into rivers and streams and reduce flooding and erosion; and
WHEREAS, storing water in upstream areas of the landscape and other strategies such as improving soil health will mitigate and slow the amount of water moving into rivers and streams and reduce flooding and erosion; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota River Congress, a citizen-led group focusing on the natural resources and economic health of the Minnesota River Basin, is spearheading an initiative to increase water storage on the landscape using recommendations from the Collaborative for Sediment Source Reduction (CSSR) study as well as the Management Options Simulation Model (MOSM) study recommendations in conjunction with the rich datasets available through state agency monitoring, assessment and conservation targeting (WRAPS, TMDLS, 1W1P) to support the case for the need for more water storage as a basis for its initiative; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota River Congress is planning to introduce and/or support legislation at the state and federal levels to secure significant funding for surface water storage on the landscape in the Minnesota River Watershed.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners supports the Minnesota River Congress in its efforts to increase water storage on the landscape and manage the flow of water in the Minnesota River Basin; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners supports the Minnesota River Congress in its efforts to secure state and federal funding targeted specifically to increase surface water storage in the Minnesota River Watershed.
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recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval