10-16-2023 Planning Commission Packet

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2245 Watertown Rd Long Lake, MN 55356 Ditch Restoration I have resided at the aforementioned address for over 30 years. During this time, a drainage ditch has consistently run through my property. It flows briefly after storm events but remains dry for most of the year since I acquired the home. The channel has always maintained a fairly level and stable condition, with vegetated side slopes. In 2017, the cities of Long Lake and Orono initiated an "improvement" project for Watertown Road and the surrounding streets. This project included the installation of curbs and gutters and a rerouting of the neighborhood's runoff from north Watertown Road directly into the drainage ditch on my property through an upgraded culvert. Additionally, erosion fabric was placed from the new culvert to approximately 20 feet downstream in the existing ditch. However, these road enhancements led to a higher volume of stormwater runoff being directed to the culvert. This, in turn, resulted in severe erosion extending well beyond the 20-foot area that was fortified. The side slopes lost their vegetation, the channel bottom became unstable, and it started eroding backward toward the culvert. Despite my numerous unsuccessful attempts to elicit a response from the city, I eventually reached out to the Mayor, who conducted a site visit with other city employees. He remarked that it was the most severe erosion he had ever seen and committed the city to participate in the restoration efforts. We reached an agreement in which I, as the homeowner, would oversee the site work, including labor and equipment, and provide the necessary fabric, while the city would supply the riprap. To ensure the proper execution of this project, the city required me to obtain the necessary permits. This involved a property survey, which has been successfully completed by Gronberg and Associates. Furthermore, a wetland delineation was conducted in collaboration with The Corps of Engineers, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, and Kjolhaug Environmental Services. All of these assessments concluded that there are no wetlands on the property and unanimously attributed the erosion to the rerouting of runoff resulting from the 2017 road construction. The Ditch Restoration proposal by Gronberg and Associates will effectively manage runoff and prevent future erosion. The proposal aims to slow the flow of storm events through the channel and prevent future erosion and backward erosion. The plan also rectifies an unstable eroding cutbank of nearly 90 degrees.