Orono Community Management Plan 2020-2040

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City of Orono Surface Water Management Plan February 2019 3 clarity and making navigation more difficult. Taking steps to limit the amount of phosphorus reaching the Lake was identified as a key element in slowing its eutrophication. The discharge from the seven sewage treatment plants was identified as one of the two primary sources of phosphorus reaching the Lake. As a result, plans were developed and implemented in the late 1970s which redirected the treatment plant discharges, via interceptors, to a regional treatment plant on the Minnesota River near Shakopee. The other phosphorus source identified in the 1970's was stormwater runoff coming from within the watershed. To date this source has not effectively been controlled. At the time, various studies recommended that lakeshore density be limited, and the natural system of wetlands and marshes be forever protected and preserved as the only practical, economic method of filtering nutrients from runoff. It became clear that the problems of ever-increasing phosphorus inputs and stormwater volumes from an urbanizing watershed would become difficult and costly to solve, and should be avoided if possible. PLANNING FOR ECOLOGY The driving force behind Orono's planning has for many decades been the protection of Lake Minnetonka, perhaps the single most important surface water resource in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. One-third of the Lake's surface area and 40% of its shoreline are within Orono's corporate boundaries. Orono’s land and wetlands also comprise a significant portion of Lake Minnetonka's watershed. The studies in the early 1970s served to reinforce that future development will have significant impacts on the water quality of the Lake. Water quality in turn has a tremendous impact on the value of the lake as a regional and community resource. TAKING ACTION City leaders concluded that limiting the density and types of development within the City was necessary to preserve and protect the Lake. To this end, in 1975 city-wide rezoning, wetland, and floodplain ordinances were strengthened, and fully 80% of the City's land area was limited to residential lot sizes of no less than 2 acres. A 'hardcover' ordinance was also put into effect, limiting the percentage of impervious surface coverage for properties within 1,000 feet of the Lake. These regulatory changes closely followed recommendations from the 1974 Surface Water Management Plan. The result is a city that is primarily low-density residential in character. The majority of Orono designated as “Rural Area” is generally located in the northern and central portions of the city, and is zoned for single-family residences on lots of 2 to 5 acres. The remaining 20%, designated as the “Urban Area,” primarily includes homes on lots of ½ to 1 acre, with only 2% of the City devoted to commercial and industrial uses. The Urban Area includes the Navarre commercial area and the many lakeshore homes on smaller lots in southwestern Orono, as well as portions of the Highway 12 commercial/industrial area. Orono's 1980 Comprehensive Plan established policies that required property in the rural 2 and 5-acre zones to develop in a manner that did not require urban services. Metropolitan Council uses the Metropolitan Urban Service Area or MUSA to define those areas under its planning jurisdiction that will develop at urban density or, in unique cases, require sewer service at less than urban density. Refer to the City’s Comprehensive plan for more information regarding the MUSA. In addition to local regulations and policies, the EPA has established the Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program as an important component of the Clean Water Act’s