2026 Vol 20, Issue 2 April - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 3 of 8 MS-4 Public Hearing Held A public hearing was held on April 21 on Gem Lake’s annual MS-4 updates, which is a mandatory hearing required by state law, covering stormwater flow within city borders. At the public hearing an overview of Gem Lake’s storm water situation, and anything that would have impacted it in the previous year, was presented. Emily Jennings, from the firm SEH (which acts as Gem Lake’s engineering firm), did a complete presentation covering everything from stormwater system inspections to public education on stormwater control measures the city undertakes to fulfill state requirements. These include what are called Minimum Control Measures (MCM) that must be part of a city’s MS-4 plan. These include: 1. Public Education and Outreach. This includes things like articles in the city newsletter, a stormwater page on the city website, partnerships with the local watersheds, etc. 2. Public Participation and Involvement. This includes things like hosting a city clean-up day. 3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination. This includes educating the public about what an illicit discharge is, as well as preventing them from happening or eliminating the problem of illicit discharge of harmful substances into a stormwater system. 4. Construction Site Run-off Control. This includes making sure proper measures are in place to prevent run-off at construction sites, such as the Barnett KIA construction site. 5. Post Construction Run-off Control. This includes monitoring construction sites after the job is completed. 6. Pollution Prevention. This includes good housekeeping for municipal activities that may impact stormwater run-off. Jennings reported that all stormwater facilities in the city are operating properly. This included 13 outfalls, 1 infiltration basin and 2 ponds. She also added that there were no illicit discharges reported in 2025. The one major construction site in 2025 (Barnett KIA dealership) has properly followed construction control measures to date. What is an MS-4 report? MS-4 stands for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System. An “MS-4” is a government entity, such as Gem Lake, that is charged with the responsibility of preventing the spread of pollution. MS-4 falls under the direction of another acronym—the NPDES or the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. NPDES traces its origins to the 1992 Clean Water Act, that was designed to protect the nation’s water supply. The current MS-4 report is on file at Heritage Hall and is available to anyone who wants to read more about it. City Clean Up Day is May 16 Looking to get rid of some junk, without the big price tag? Once again, the City of Gem Lake will partner with White Bear Township to be part of their city Clean Up Day on May 16. The event will be held at Otter Lake Elementary School located at 1401 County Road H2. Gem Lake residents can bring in a variety of unneeded items for disposal at no charge, including the following:  Appliances  Tires  Automotive Batteries  Mattresses  Furniture  Carpeting  Household Fixtures  TVs  Electronics  Lawn Mowers (with fluids drained)  Building Materials  Limbs and Brush From 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. paper shredding is available. Clean up Day runs from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Proof of residency in Gem Lake or White Bear Township is required, such as a driver’s license or utility bill.