Sauk River Watershed District seeks comments on updated rules

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The Sauk River Watershed District (SRWD) is in the process of updating its rules and is seeking public comment.

The district was established under the authority of Minnesota Statute Chapter 103D, the Watershed Act, on July 22, 1986. Its primary purpose is conservation of the quality and quantity of water within the watershed.

As required by Minnesota Statute Chapter 103D, the district has adopted a watershed management plan.

In its plan, the district has established goals for protecting and improving surface water quality; protecting groundwater quality; maintaining adequate surface and groundwater supplies for all users; protecting and restoring critical areas; promoting wise land use management; expanding knowledge and understanding of the watershed; engaging residents in water resource management; and providing effective and efficient administration of the district.

The district’s watershed management plan identifies objectives and initiatives necessary to address these issues, including the adoption of rules and a permitting program.

The SRWD is currently in the process to update the rules for the permitting program of the organization.

These rules establish the baseline for when a permit is required on a project and when they are not. The district’s watershed management plan identifies several areas where district rules are necessary to effectuate the district’s statutory purposes.

The district’s rules are intended to fill gaps in existing federal, state and local regulations and are not intended to duplicate existing regulation. These rules will help further the goal to clean up impaired waters, according to the SRWD.

The current rules were drafted and adopted in 1987. The SRWD undertook a process to review and update the rules a few years ago. The process has included meeting with local agencies, citizens, stakeholder meetings, one-to-one meetings, and much more. The SRWD wanted to establish a set of rules that would align well with other agencies and further address issues that currently fall through the cracks.

The four provisions in the rules are: storm water, erosion control, drainage and water uses.

The Sauk River Watershed District held a public hearing on January 26 for the purpose of taking comments on the proposed rules.

The hearing was recessed until the February 16 regular board meeting to take further comment.

The board of managers directed that all comments received be posted on the website of the Sauk River Watershed District. The comments were also addressed by the Sauk River Watershed District.

This additional information has been officially posted to the SRWD website and can be found at http://www.srwdmn.org/Rules%20Revisions.html.

The Sauk River Watershed District has continued the hearing until February 16 at 7:15 p.m. This meeting will be held at the Sauk River Watershed District Office located in Sauk Centre.

After the hearing and incorporation of any modifications to the rules from the public comments, the Sauk River Watershed will proceed to adopt these new rules.

For more information about the Sauk River Watershed District programs, visit the website www.srwdmn.org or call (320) 352-2231.

Tags: sauk river watershed district, news, srwd, environment, water