PRECA 03-07-1984 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Report #83- 276 Page #2 • For lack of a better way to do it, the Rice Creek Watershed District. has been enforcing their rate of run-off/quality policies on a site by site basis at the time a site is developed. Every new development, short of building a single family home, is required to get a permit from the Rice Creek Watershed District for this purpose. This procedure has resulted in retention ponds with baffeled weirs on every project in the City developed since about 1978. In addition to being a costly item and frequent obstacles to good development, the individual site facilities are seldom kept up and function as intended. Our Storm Water Management Plan addresses Rice Creek's rate of run-off/ quality policies on a watershed area basis rather than by individual site basis. Storm water is held back in natural low lands, marshes, and ponds and a few manmade retention areas. There are a minimal number of facilities to maintain and consequently the rate of run-off/quality policies are better achieved. Of the two policies the water quality policy is the most difficult to deal with. Since both policies are accomplished by storing storm water and releasing it at a slow controlled rate, meeting the quality policy in effect results in meeting the run-off policy. The inverse not always true however. • Using a pond to retain storm water can eliminate flooding upstream and downstream and improve water quality downstream but does nothing for water quality in the pond. The bid question essentially becomes, "at what point is it desirable for water to be treated". Due to the location of certain natural low lands and marshes it is simple to achieve and even exceed the water quality policy in some. areas. Figure 9 of our Storm Water Management Plan shows areas of the City which presently meet the water quality policy and other areas which will meet it upon construction of recommended new retention basins. Since the total storm water run-off of these areas meet Rice Creeks,. rate of run-off/quality policies Rice Creek has no need to require permits on new developments in these areas. This is not to .say that the City would not require facilities to improve water quality within the area, if it is practical to do so. The undesignated areas on Figure 9 are generally areas which drain directly into the major lakes and creeks. Storm water run-off from these areas are just about impossible to treat with facilities. In these areas our plan recommends good City sanitation practices to eliminate pollutants from accumulating on the sites in .the first place. Some examples would be: leaf and debris pick-up, use of low phosphorus lawn fertilizers and good street sweeping and cleaning. A good public education program on City sanitation combined with new ordinances and enforcement are being recommended in our. plan. Although the good sanitation practices are necessary in the undersignated areas to meet Rice Creeks quality policy, they could just as easily be enforced in all areas of the City. If this were the case the major facilities on the marshes and ponds in the deaigtatandaserveomostlyrto9protectbe redundant in so far as water qu Y against flooding.