10-25-2004 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

r m.3007 May 10,2004 Page 3 In 1974-75 the Hennepin Conservation District staff prepared for Orono a map of wetlands to be protected by the City, based on soil survey maps and overlaid onto a set of half-section B/W airphotos taken in 1970. On the 1970 airphotos, Lakeview Terrace cuts tlirough the center of the old wetland area, and the wetland o vcilay indicates that virtually the entire area of lot 2 is considered as wetland. Soil Type “Fd", which indicates filled land. It is assumed that the fill was added duiing road construction in 1961, but we have not been able to pin it down other than sometime between 1955 and 1970. Jurisdictional Authority The City has relied on the 1974-75 wetland inventory as the definitive mapping of wetlands protected via City ordinance Sections 78-1109 tlmi78-l 112 (fonnerly Chapter 10.55 Subs. 5 tluti 8). The advent of the Minnesota Wetland Conseivation Act (WC A) in the early 1990's resulted in an additional layer of protection of wetlands, established a variety of parameters for defining and delineating wetlands, and established certain timeframes for applicability of those parameters. Tlie City has authorized the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) to act as tlie Local Government Unit (LGU) for administration o f the WC A. Wetlands are also Federally regulated by the Aimy Corps of Engineers. Tlie City code functionally ignores wetlands not shown on the 1974-75 Orono Wetland Inventoiy, but many small wetland basins not shown on that inventory are shown on the various maps used by the MCWD for wetland administration. These maps include theNational Wetland Inventoiy maps (19S9 USDI/FWS); the MnDNR’s Protected Waters and Wetlands maps (1983) and MCWD’s “Functional Assessment of Wetlands ” (2003). Additionally, the MCWD requires delineation of wetlands for all development where a wetland maybe involved. Due to the WCA wetland delineation guidelines, many small Type I and II wetlands wltich the City never contemplated protecting, are protected under WCA rules. Current Wetland Status of “1925" Lakeview Terrace Under City Ordinance 78-1112, virtually the entire lot is considered as a City-protected wetland, and has carried that status since the City maps were adopted m the I970's. The northeasterly portion of the property has been delineated by the applicants ’ wetland consultant as WCA protected wetland. It has been delineated as a “Typc2 (PEMIB) wetland dominated by reed canary grass along with some lake sedge and a few red-osier dogwoods.” This delineation does not include the ditch area. On May 10 the applicant was advised, per the recommendation of the City ’s wetland consultant, to have the MCWD certify the wetland boundaries. This certification is still pending. C) The wetland on Lot 2 is H2l mapped on the NWl maps nor the DNRmaps, and is oel mapped on the MCWD’s “Functional Assessment” maps. iiiftjrfiiWItiBhi’i