November 12, 2015 cac packet

Citizen Advisory Committee 7:00 PM, Thursday, November 12, 2015 – Capitol Region Watershed District 1410 Energy Park Drive, Suite 4, Saint Paul, MN 55108 Agenda

Materials Enclosed

7:00

I)

Welcome, Announcements and Updates – Introductions

7:05

II)

Public Comment for issues not on the Agenda (3 minutes per person)

7:08

III)

Approval of the Agenda

7:09

IV)

Approval of Minutes A) Approval of the October 14, 2015 Minutes

7:10

V)

District Initiatives for Review, Comment and Recommendations A) Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary Monitoring Program, Britta Suppes B) BMP Monitoring, Sarah Wein

8:15

VI)

CAC Initiatives A) 2015 Watershed Awards, Mark Doneux B) Student Worker Program Update C) Moos Family Lecture Series Wrap Up

8:30

VII)

Project and Program Updates A) Upper Villa Stormwater Improvement Project

8:45

VIII) CAC Observer Update

8:55

IX)

Discussion A) New & Old Issues B) CAC Observer for November 18 and December 2, 2015 Board of Managers Meetings C) 2015 Meeting Schedule

9:00

X)

Adjourn

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Our Mission is to protect, manage and improve the water resources of Capitol Region Watershed District.

Draft

Citizen Advisory Committee Meeting Wednesday, October 14, 2015 – 7:00 p.m.

CAC Members Present: David Arbeit Bill Barton Pat Cavanaugh Steve Duerre Mike MacDonald Rick Sanders Nicole Soderholm Michelle Ulrich Richard Weil Gwen Willems

Others Present: Mark Doneux, CRWD Michelle Sylvander, CRWD Bob Fossum, CRWD Joe Sellner, CRWD Wyatt Behrends, CRWD Mike Thienes, CRWD Board Manager Tim Zalusky, U of M Student

Members absent: Ted McCaslin Kathryn Swanson, w/notice Welcome, Announcements, and Updates Mr. MacDonald opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. with introductions. Mr. MacDonald requested any announcements. Mr. Barton shared his support for the removal of the lock and dam located near the former Ford site.

Approval of Agenda Mr. MacDonald asked for any additions or changes to the Agenda. Administrator Doneux requested that item VII. Project and Program Updates A) Monitoring, Research and Maintenance Division Updates be moved up on the agenda to follow V. District Initiatives A) Ford Site Stormwater Planning.

CAC 15-036 Motion: To approve the CAC October 14, 2015, agenda with requested change.

Duerre/Arbeit Unanimously approved Approval of the September 9, 2015 Minutes No changes or corrections were noted.

CAC 15-037 Motion: To approve the September 9, 2015 Minutes.

Weil/Sanders Unanimously approved 1

VI. District Initiatives A)

Ford Site Stormwater Planning (Fossum)

Mr. Fossum provided an update for the CAC on the former Ford Assembly Plant. The City of St. Paul approached Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD) to assist with responsible planning in creating an open space that could also treat stormwater runoff. Mr. Fossum reviewed a presentation outlining the planning process. Planning started in 2007 to include Hidden Falls. Ford Motor Company is the current owner of the land and will be putting the property on the market for sale in late 2015 or early 2016. The City of St. Paul anticipates having zoning and public realm plans in place by 2016 before the land is purchased by a developer. A public information meeting was held in June 2015 by the City of St. Paul. At the public meeting Wes Saunders-Pearce, the Water Resources Coordinator for the City of St. Paul shared visionary plans with the public. The meeting was very well attended by the public and supported by residents. The purpose of Phase one planning was to work with the general public and develop concept plans for reuse of the land. Mr. Fossum reviewed how Phase one has been completed and the project is now into Phase two.

The goal of Phase two is to characterize the benefits, determine cost value and the overall sustainability profile.

Mr. Arbeit inquired about who hired Impact Infrastructure, LLC (ISI). Mr. Fossum replied that ISI is a contractor hired by Barr Engineering. Mr. Barton asked how the return on investment can be calculated for this project. Mr. Arbiet also inquired on how the economic value is determined. Mr. Fossum replied that there are numerous factors involved. The added water features will also increase the value of buildable land.

Ms. Cavanaugh asked about area C shown on the site map. Mr. Fossum replied that Ford will continue ownership of this area to address contamination issues.

Project and Program Updates A) Monitoring, Research and Maintenance Division Updates WISKI Database (Joe Sellner) In April 2014 members of the CAC recommended increased effectiveness and efficiency for the Monitoring Program. Mr. Sellner reviewed how over ten years of data was stored in numerous file types. The reporting of load calculations varied, calculations would become broken after information was cut and pasted in worksheets. To improve the reporting effectiveness and efficiency staff researched data management software and found Water Information System Kisters (WISKI). Mr. Sellner shared how information is easy to import and export. The new WISKI software has automated numerous time consuming processes. Mr. Sellner shared that staff plans to move forward with utilizing additional features in WISKI to include lake monitoring data. Mr. Sellner recently attended a user group meeting. Mr. Arbeit asked if any other watersheds are using this software. Administrator Doneux replied that Minnehaha Creek has asked for a demonstration of the WISKI software.

Remote Access (Wyatt Behrends) As part of the CAC recommendations to increase effectiveness and efficiency, power has been installed at Trout Brook East & West Branch. Mr. Behrends explained how monitoring stations are powered by marine batteries. The batteries need to be switched out and recharged on a weekly basis. Having power at these sites has now enabled staff to install remote access to monitor these sites without physically leaving the “Our mission is to protect, manage, and improve the water resources of the Capitol Region Watershed District.�

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office. Mr. Behrends demonstrated how staff is able to log into a software program to adjust monitoring specifications. The remote monitoring stations will also alert the office when samples are ready to be picked.

Mr. Sanders asked if the system will alert if the power should go out. Mr. Sellner replied that the system does have a battery backup system. Mr. Behrends stated that staff is researching solar recharging options for some of the remote locations. The CAC thanked staff for their presentation.

CAC Initiatives A) Student Worker Program Administrator Doneux reviewed the Student Worker Program. At the April CAC meeting the Committee discussed having a student worker from the University of Minnesota work on a project for the District chosen by the Committee. Kathryn Swanson has worked with students at the University of Minnesota on service learning projects and recommended the program. Kathryn volunteered to be the primary contact on behalf of CRWD for the student worker. Staff contacted the Service Learning Office at the University of Minnesota and invited Ms. Monica Siems McKay to the May CAC meeting to provide more information about the program and feedback on project ideas.

Ms. Willems introduced Mr. Tim Zalusky. Mr. Zalusky is a senior at University of Minnesota in Mechanical Engineering. Mr. Zalusky was selected by the Service Learning Committee to complete a project for CRWD. The CAC discussed possible projects involving Mr. Zalusky building 3-D models of projects that are underground such as a tree trench or Curtiss Pond. Ms. Willems stated the subcommittee of Ms. Soderholm, Ms. Swanson, and Ms. Willems will have a meeting to determine the project and timeline for Mr. Zalusky.

B)

2015 Awards Program

In 2014 the CAC adopted the CRWD Watershed Steward Awards program to recognize residents and partners of CRWD. The Committee approved four award categories and the program was promoted by CRWD staff and CAC members. Twelve nominations for three of the four categories were received. Since CRWD is no longer sponsoring an award through the Blooming St Paul program the committee discussed adding a project award category to the CRWD Watershed Steward Awards program. The 2014 Awards Committee, David Arbeit and Mike MacDonald, presented a new project award category description that was approved by the CAC at the August meeting. Staff will be promoting the awards program until nominations are due, but do not plan on submitting any nominations. Mr. Arbeit recommended resubmitting nominees from last year. Nomination forms are now on the website and quick and easy to fill out.

CAC 15-038 Motion: To extend the deadline of nominations to October 23rd, 2015.

Arbiet/Willems Unanimously approved C)

Fall Freshwater Society Moos Family Lecture Series update

Administrator Doneux gave the CAC an update on the Freshwater Society Moos Family Lecture Series. Bill Stowe, the CEO and General Manager of the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) has been scheduled to speak at the St. Paul Student Center. Earlier this year DMWW filed a Clean Water Act complaint against three “upstream” counties that manage agricultural drainage districts discharging high nitrate concentrations “Our mission is to protect, manage, and improve the water resources of the Capitol Region Watershed District.”

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into the Raccoon River. These actions have captured national attention with questions over responsibility for agricultural water pollution and the costs of clean water. The date has been set for Tuesday, November 3, 2015. Mr. Duerre, Ms. Ulrich and Mr. Barton have volunteered to help at the information table. There is no charge for this event but registration is required.

Discussion A) New & Old Issues Mr. Barton discussed Special Grants that have been approved.

B) Identify CAC Observer for the October 21st and November 4th Board of Managers Meetings.

Mr. Weil attended the October 7th Board of Managers Meeting. He stated the meeting was short with just a permit issued and one permit closure.

No observers identified for October 21st and November 4th Board of Managers Meetings.

C) 2015 Meeting Schedule The Committee reviewed the 2015 meeting schedule.

Adjourn – CAC 15-039 Motion: To adjourn the October 14, 2015 CAC Meeting.

Duerre/Sanders Unanimously approved The meeting was adjourned at 9:04 PM. Respectfully submitted, Michelle Sylvander

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“Our mission is to protect, manage, and improve the water resources of the Capitol Region Watershed District.”

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DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT:

November 5, 2015 CRWD Citizen Advisory Committee Bob Fossum, Water Resource Program Manager MRM Division Update

November 12, 2015 CAC Meeting V. District Initiatives - MRM Division Update A) TBNS Monitoring and B) BMP Monitoring

Background Since 2005, CRWD has been collecting and analyzing water quality data through the District Monitoring Program. CRWD monitors water quality and/or quantity at up to 70 different monitoring locations (major subwatershed, lakes, ponds, and BMPs) throughout the District in order to (1) identify water quality problem areas; (2) quantify subwatershed runoff pollutant loadings; (3) evaluate the effectiveness of stormwater BMPs; (4) provide data for the calibration of hydrologic, hydraulic, and water quality models; and (5) promote understanding of District water resources and water quality.

Annual and long term monitoring initiatives implemented by the Monitoring, Research, and Maintenance (MRM) Division are dynamic and develop in response to internal and external data needs. In addition to regular monitoring activities that are reported upon annually (i.e. stormwater monitoring; lakes monitoring), MRM conducts targeted monitoring of a variety of stormwater BMPs as well as the performance of CRWD water quality improvement projects.

Issues Staff will review the following MRM Division 2015 Monitoring Initiatives with the CAC:

1.

Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary Monitoring Plan—Britta Suppes, Monitoring Coordinator

2.

BMP Monitoring Initiatives —Sarah Wein, Water Resource Technician

Requested Action None, information only.

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Our Mission is to protect, manage and improve the water resources of Capitol Region Watershed District

November 12, 2015 VI. CAC Initiatives A.) 2015 Watershed Steward Awards Program

DATE: TO: FROM: RE:

November 4, 2015 Citizen Advisory Committee Lindsay VanPatten 2015 Watershed Steward Awards Program

Background CRWD accepted nominations for the 2015 Watershed Steward Awards through Friday, October 23, 2015.

Staff received 15 nominations for the five award categories. The Awards Committee of CAC members, David Arbeit and Mike MacDonald, Board Managers, Mary Texer and Joe Collins and Mark Doneux and Lindsay VanPatten from staff met on Monday November 2 to review the nominations.

Issues The Board Managers serving on the Awards Committee presented the recommended winners of the 2015 CRWD Watershed Steward Awards at board meeting on November 4 meeting for approval. Below are the nominations for each award category with the recommended winners highlighted.

Watershed Citizen of the Year Nominees: 1. Jeff Warner for helping with Como Curbside Cleanup events 2. Jenn Morrow for installing a rain garden on her property and sharing information with her neighbors 3. Val Cunningham for years of outreach and rain garden maintenance in Como neighborhood.

4. Steve Mitrione for community outreach in Hamline Midway neighborhood Watershed Partner of the Year Nominees: 1. Saint Paul Public Works for partnering on SPSVP boulevard rain gardens (also in Project) 2. Saint Paul Parks Dept. and Ramsey County Environmental Services for helping with Como Curbside Cleanup 3. City of Falcon Heights for partnering on Curtiss Pond, Arlington Pascal and City Hall projects Watershed Project of the Year Nominees: 1. CHS Field – City of Saint Paul 2. SPSVP Boulevard Rain Gardens – Saint Paul Public Works Dept. (also in Partner) 3. Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary – Saint Paul Parks 4. Environmental Artmaking Workshop – Public Art Saint Paul Teaching Artist Cohort Young Watershed Steward of the Year Nominees: 1. Ava Limberg for adopting a storm drain 2. Urban Roots Grow Crew Interns for sharing their conservation and water stewardship knowledge with their communities 3. Kamarah Short for taking on a leadership role through Great River Greenings Field Learning for Teens program Our Mission is to protect, manage and improve the water resources of Capitol Region Watershed District.

Lifetime Stewardship Award Nominees 1. Tom Petersen and Terry Noonan for their leadership roles at CRWD during our founding years 2. District 10, Como Neighborhood Environment Committee for their involvement in the foundation of CRWD and ongoing support of water quality improvement projects in Como Neighborhood

Request Action Approve the 2015 Watershed Steward Award winners as follows: Watershed Citizen of the Year: Val Cunningham Watershed Partner of the Year: City of Falcon Heights Watershed Project of the Year: Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary – Saint Paul Parks Young Watershed Steward of the Year: Kamarah Short Lifetime Stewardship Awards: Tom Petersen and Terry Noonan, and District 10, Como Neighborhood Environment Committee

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Capitol Region Watershed District Citizen Advisory Committee 2015 Agenda Plan CAC Meeting Date January 14, 2015 February 11, 2015 March 11, 2015

April 8, 2015 May 13, 2015

District Initiatives - District 6 NRI - 2014 Fish Survey - Education Program Review - 2015 Rule Revisions - Upper Villa Park Project Review - Rules Review - 2014 Permit Program Review

CAC Initiatives -Stewardship Awards Recap -2015 CAC Meeting Plan Discuss 2015 “Event”

- North & East Metro GW Plan Update - By Law Amendments Adopted -Watershed Plan Mid-Term Review - Lake McCarrons Aquatic Plan Harvesting

- Election of Officers - Student Worker Program -Awards Program -Event Planning -CAC Tour Planning -Student Worker -Tour Planning -Event Planning Update -Master Water Stewards -Student Worker Update

June 10, 2015

-WMP Mid Term Review

July 15, 2015 (3rd Wednesday) August 12, 2015

-Tour of District Projects -Review and Comment on 2016 Budget -Master Water Stewards

September 9, 2015

-Master Water Stewards -Lakes and Stormwater Presentation October 14, 2015 -Special and Partner Grant Committees -Ford Site November 12, 2015 -Monitoring Program Updates – TBNS and (2nd Thursday) BMP Monitoring -Upper Villa Update December 9, 2015 Willow Reserve History Report Willow Reserve Restoration Plan 2016 Reappointment Recommendations Updated: November 5, 2015 Pervious Parking Lot Eustis Street Feasibility Study Lafayette Park W:\05 Citizen Advisory Committee\Agendas\2015\2015 CAC Agenda Plan 11-12-15.doc

- Event Planning - By Laws Review

-2015 Awards Program Adoption -Student Worker Program Approval - Fall Fresh Water Society Event -Awards Program -Student Worker Program Update - Awards Program - Awards Program - Student Worker Updates - Moos - Awards Program - Student Worker Update