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B. Potential Partner Agencies for Surface Water Projects CITY OF CHANHASSEN 7700 Market Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Administration Phone: 952,227,1100 Fax: 952,227,1110 Building Inspections Phone: 952,227,1180 Fax: 952,227,1190 Engineering Phone: 952,227,1160 Fax: 952,227,1170 Finance Phone: 952,227.1140 Fax: 952,227,1110 Park & Recreation Phone: 952,227,1120 Fax: 952,227,1110 Recreation Center 2310 Coulter Boulevard Phone: 952,227.1400 Fax: 952,227,1404 Planning & Natural Resources Phone: 952,227,1130 Fax: 952,227,1110 Public Works 1591 Park Road Phone: 952,227,1300 Fax: 952,227,1310 Senior Center Phone: 952,227.1125 Fax: 952,227,1110 Web Site www.ci.chanhassen.mn.us B MEMORANDUM TO: /{P, Paul Oehme, City Engineer Y ( Terry Jeffery, Water Resources coordioaw;J(~. August 10, 2009 FROM: DATE: RE: Potential Partner Agencies for Surface Water Projects This memorandum is intended to summarize the potential for the City of Chanhassen to partner with other agencies to initiate or complete surface water management projects. This is not an exhaustive list of possible funding sources but rather is intended to discuss the most common or prevalent sources. There are eight agencies which comprise the majority of potential partner agencies. These include, in no particular order, the following: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District Minnesota Department.ofNatural Lower MN River Watershed District Resources Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Resources Carver County Soil & Water Carver County Water, Environment and Conservation District Natural Resources MINNESOT A POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) tends to have the most funding opportunities and the most funds available. They will lend technical expertise but primarily they expect the municipality to carry out the work. Their project selection is typically done through the Project Priority List (PPL). In order to get onto the list, a plan needs to exist for the project and the project needs to be initiated in some given time period after the grant is awarded. For this reason, it is important that we begin to develop working plans for projects identified in our Surface Water Management Plan and our CIP. This will allow Chanhassen to be more aggressive and competitive when competing for the pools of money available. Many of the funds available through the MPCA are allocated to those projects to be performed in areas tributary to Waters of the State with an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Plan. Currently, there are no approved TMDL waters within Chanhassen~ We are currently working on the draft TMDL for Bluff Creek with an anticipated completion in the fall of201O. It may be possible Chanhassen is a Community for Life. Providing for Today and Planning for Tomorrow Todd Gerhardt August 10,2009 Page 2 to capitalize on the approved TMDL for the Lower Minnesota RiverWatershed District. It is my understanding that other government units have attempted this and met with varying degrees of success. Funds for which the City may be able to apply for 2010 include the DER Funds, Clean Water Legacy Act Funds, Clean Water State Revolving Funds and the Green Project Reserve. The DER Funds are intended for education and outreach as well as for new and innovative techniques through which research can be performed. These do not necessarily equate to typical infrastructure projects and may not necessarily yield the immediate benefits being sought in a project. However, the long-term benefits and the ultimate acceptance of some more cost effective management techniques may come out of such an effort. The Clean Water Legacy Act grant funds are administered jointly with the Board of Soil and Water Resources. These funds are earmarked for waters with an approved TMDL . implementation plan. To date, no approved plans exist for waters within the City of Chanhassen. Upon completion of the Bluff Creek TMDL, this will change. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) is a low interest loan offered to government units looking to implement stormwater, municipal water or sanitary sewer projects. Some cities have been able to get a portion of their loans forgiven through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This is not a funding source that can be relied upon in future years. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES While the DNR does have several grant programs, many of these are aimed at vegetation and habitat management and do not necessarily translate well to surface water management project. Further, many of the grant programs administered by the DNR are currently unfunded. One grant that the DNR offers, to which Chanhassen applied, is the Metro Greenways Protection program. This is a 50% matching grant program to acquire fee title or a conservation easement for lands located within the Metropolitan Conservation Corridor and meeting other specific criteria. With the aid of this program, Chanhassen is seeking to acquire approximately six acres of forest land in the bluffs north of V ogelsberg and west of TH 101. The project has been short listed and we are awaiting final approval. Other grant programs the DNR has offered is the Stream Bank Maintenance Grant and Flood Protection Grant. Currently, these are both unfunded for the 2009-2010 years. BOARD OF SOIL AND WATER RESOURCES The Board of Soil and Water Resources administers numerous grant programs. These are generally offered to County Water Planners and SWCDs. Often they pass the grant down to municipalities and townships as with the Natural Resources Block Grant discussed in the next section. Some ofthe programs include the Native Buffer Cost-Share Program, Cooperative Weed Management Areas, Reinvest in Minnesota and Feedlot Water Quality Management. These are aimed at agricultural land uses and, as was stated earlier, are administered through the SWCD. G:\ENG\Terry\Grants\Memorandum "'potential partners _081 009.doc Todd Gerhardt August 10,2009 Page 3 The largest and most applicable program available to municipalities is the Clean Water Legacy program. This program is available for projects that are tributary to Waters of the State with an approved TMDL Implementation Plan. Currently, there are no approved TMDLs in the City of Chanhassen. We are currently working on the draft TMDL for Bluff Creek and will then be eligible for CWL funds upon the Implementation Plan being approved by the EP A. Occasionally another fund becomes available referred to as Protection Funds. These do not require an approved TMDL. They are intended to be used for projects which prevent further degradation of waters. Protection funds were available in 2008 but not in 2009 or 2010. It is important to note that CWL funds require that a plan be in place and the project commence by some deadline. In 2009, an RFP went out June 15 and the submittal deadline was July 15. A detailed work plan and budget are then due on August 25,2009. Because of this, it is important that a thorough consideration of2010 projects be undertaken this winter so that 70% plans can be prepared and submitted with the application deadline. CARVER COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT The Carver County SWCD is the agency responsible for the distribution of many of the BWSR funds. These funds tend to be focused primarily on agricultural land. They do have two programs which might be available to the City. The Natural Resources Block Grants are distributed to the County Soil and Water Districts for fund management. We have been in discussions with Mike Wanous of the SWCD about a cost share on the Cimarron Raingarden Project similar to the Foxford Road project of2008. The SWCD has already provided design for the project at a discounted rate. In addition, the SWCD has a program where they offer a cost sharing for consulting engineering to prepare feasibility reports and plan sets for known problem areas. The City has already discussed the possibility of participating in this program for the trail alignments proposed along TH 5 and along Bluff Creek Drive. Mike Wanous and City staff have tentatively scheduled a meeting this fall to discuss 2010 projects. It is anticipated that further partnering opportunities might be found at this time. Carver County SWCD works collaboratively with the Carver County Water, Environment and Natural Resources (WENR). It may be possible to partner with WENR as well. However, a very small portion of Chanhassen is within the WENR boundaries. LOWER MINNESOTA RIVER WATERSHED DISTRICT The Lower Minnesota River Watershed District is currently updating their surface water management plan. As a part of this process, they are actively soliciting potential projects from municipalities within their jurisdiction. Staff is currently preparing a list of potential projects to submit to the Board. These will include, at a minimum, the Bluff Creek Drive drainage issues which may be corrected in conjunction with the proposed trail project, the gully erosion south G:\ENG\ Terry\Grants\Memorandumjlotentialpartners _ 081009 .doc Todd Gerhardt August 10,2009 Page 4 and west of Deerbrook Drive, and Seminary Fen management. The City has already met with the City of Chaska, the DNR, the USFWS and the Lower MN River Watershed District to discuss possible collaboration on the Seminary Fen stewardship plan. MINNEHAHA CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) has indicated to staff that they have several CIP items set aside within their budget specifically for municipalities to petition for. These items are tailored to specific drainage and water quality issues. One such program is aimed at stabilizing riparian channels. City staffhas already had preliminary discussions with MCWD about the Crane's Vineyard Channel Stabilization project southwest of Christmas Lake. The reaction of MCWD was favorable and it is likely that a partnership can be fostered on this project. Staff is preparing a letter to the District illustrating potential road reconstruction projects within their jurisdiction. It is staff's intent to request that the District assist the City in retrofitting water quality best management practices into these projects. RILEY-PURGATORy-BLUFF CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT Currently, the RPBCWD is working with the University of Minnesota to assess the carp population on several area lakes. It is the feeling of the District that through lake management, they will be able to address intemalloading of phosphorous on area lakes and, depending upon these results, the lakes might be delisted from the 303( d) list of impaired waters. This process could potentially take a number of years but could reduce the burden on the City to install Best Management Practices elsewhere within the watershed. It would not address non-degradation issues or other items identified in our MS4 permit. Because of these ongoing research projects, the District has limited financial resources available to municipalities. They have set aside $100,000 annually so that cities may submit a project and their engineers could study the feasibility of the project. It is staff's understanding that based upon the engineer's findings, a recommendation could be made that the City petition for assistance from the District on the project. OTHER City staff is continuing to look for additional partners. Occasionally, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Metropolitan Council and other agencies have grants available which are germane to the City's efforts. Also, the City is working with WSB and Associates, Inc. to develop a database of grants that could automatically be cross-referenced with Chanhassen's Surface Water Management Plan. This database would generate a list ofprojects that might be eligible for a specific grant when made available. It would also remind staff of important dates in the grant schedule. We will continue to look for potential partners to continue to sustain and, where necessary, improve the quality of the surface water within the City ofChanhassen. G:\ENG\ Terry\Grants\Memorandum ""potential partners _ 081009 .doc