Item Description:
title
Approve minor plan amendment to the Elm Creek Watershed Mgmt Plan; set Elm Creek Watershed Mgmt Commission 2026 max levy at $630,000 for projects to improve water quality
end
Resolution:
body
BE IT RESOLVED, that the plan amendment submitted by the Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission including a revised capital improvement program, be approved; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the 2026 maximum levy for the Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission be set at $630,000; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the levy be certified to the county auditor and be placed on all taxable property under the jurisdiction of the Elm Creek Watershed Management commission.
end
Background:
The Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission has proposed a minor plan amendment to its Watershed Management Plan. The minor plan amendment adds two water quality projects to the commission’s Capital Improvement Plan and revises the levy amount for three CIP projects in 2026.
Staff reviewed the commission’s proposed minor plan amendment and found it to be consistent with Minnesota Statutes section 103B.251, with the Surface Water Management section of the Hennepin County 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update, and the Hennepin County Natural Resources Strategic Plan. As a result, staff recommend approval of the proposed minor plan amendment. Additional information about the minor plan amendment is provided in a supplemental staff recommendation report (Attachment 1).
The Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission has proposed a maximum 2026 special projects levy of $630,000 to fund the commission’s portion of the project costs to complete three water quality projects that are a priority in the commission’s capital improvement plan. The projects will achieve the commission’s goals to improve water quality and habitat value of Diamond Lake, Rush Creek, Elm Creek, and downstream resources including the Mississippi River.
The projects to be implemented in part by the levy funds are:
• Rush Creek Stream Restoration-Rush Hollow to Fernbrook - This project will restore and repair erosion along 1,600 linear feet of Rush Creek downstream of Rush Hollow to Fernbrook Lane in Maple Grove, Minnesota. This project will help to address water quality concerns, improve streambank habitat, improve floodplain connectivity, and improve recreation and access to the creek. The total cost of the project is $800,000 and the commission requests a 2026 levy of $200,000. The remainder of the project costs will be paid by the City of Maple Grove.
• Corcoran Sweeper - This project will assist in funding the purchase of a street sweeper to begin a systematic municipal street sweeping program and reduce pollutant loading to Rush Creek and Elm Creek. Pollutant reduction estimates associated with this expanded street sweeping are 30 pounds of phosphorus, 150 pounds of nitrogen, and 6 pounds of chloride per sweep. The total cost of the project is $400,000 and the commission requests a 2026 levy of $100,000. The remainder of the project costs will be paid by the City of Corcoran.
• Diamond Lake Alum Treatment - This project includes an alum treatment and aquatic vegetation management in Diamond Lake to reduce nutrient release from sediments and control invasive curly-leaf pondweed. The total cost of the project is $660,000 and the commission requests a 2026 levy of $330,000. The second half of the project is expected to be funded via levy next year.
Levies authorized pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 103B.251 are exempt from any statutory limitation on taxes. A county levying a tax under Minnesota Statutes, section 103B.251 shall not include that tax in the county’s general levy but shall separately certify that amount to the county auditor. The county auditor shall extend that levy as a special taxing district. The commission must certify its final levies to the county auditor prior to October 1, 2025.
Current Request:
This request is to approve a plan amendment to the Elm Creek Management Plan and set the Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission 2026 maximum levy at $630,000 for projects that will improve water quality.
This request also establishes that the levy be certified to the county auditor and be placed on all taxable property under the jurisdiction of the commission.
Impact/Outcomes:
Projects in this request will improve water quality and aquatic habitat in Rush Creek, Elm Creek and the Mississippi River which flows through downstream areas identified by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as areas of environmental justice concern.
This action supports the county’s disparity reduction efforts by enhancing stormwater management systems and mitigating flooding risks that climate change poses to our infrastructure and more vulnerable people.
Approval of this request will allow certification of the maximum levy to the county auditor for inclusion in Truth in Taxation statement.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval