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ROSHWEEE 1XIEQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Date: 6/20/11 Item No.: 10 - c Department Approval City Manager Approval Item Description: Grass Lake Water Management Board Presentation 1o, 2 The Grass Lake Water Management Organization Board has requested time at a city council 3 meeting to discuss the update of its Water Management Plan, the current financing structure for 4, the WMO, and a ten year plan that is going to require significantly more resources than past 5 years. The Grass Lake WMO was created in 1983 through a joint powers agreement between 6 Roseville and Shoreview as a result of legislation requiring watershed management separate "7 from city operations. It was created to manage water resources in the most cost effective and 8 efficient manner with city technical staff supporting the Board and carrying out the business of 9 the WMO. 110 Water regulation has changed significantly since the creation of Grass Lake WMO. The Board is 11 currently working with a consultant on its third generation Water Management Plan. This plan is 12 required to be updated every 10 years to bring it in compliance with current regulation and to 13 update goals and policies. The Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources (BSWR) has been 14, monitoring watershed organization activity for several years and have been communicating with 15 those organizations they feel have not taken an active enough role in protecting water resources. 116 The Grass Lake Board has taken a more proactive role in recent years to ensure they are 1 7 improving the resource. They have undertaken studies of water quality in response to action 11 111"":1'11 levels triggered by declining water quality in Lake Owasso. The new Plan will have regulatory 119 standards and rules similar to the surrounding watershed districts. The new Plan will also 20 contain a capital improvement plan to help achieve the WMO goals. 2i The WMO hired part time administrative staff in 2009 to help manage the increased expectations 22 and activity of the Board as city staff could not absorb the increased workloads. They are 23 currently meeting at least on a monthly basis. The new Plan will require significantly more 24, administrative and Board activity than years past. This has raised the question of governance 25 and whether the cities will respond positively to additional revenue requests. 26 Grass Lake WMO is the smallest organized watershed in the state. This is one reason it has been 27 managed as a joint powers WMO rather than a watershed district with its own taxing authority. 28 As a joint powers WMO, its board members are appointed at the local level rather than the 29 county level. This allows for a higher level of local input into the management of the resources. 3o The board is having discussions about what governance structure is best suited to manage the 3 1 WMO into the future. There are three options: stay with the current governance structure, 32 merge with another WMO such as the Vadnais Lake WMO, or dissolve the joint powers WMO 33 and allow BSVVR to combine it with another watershed district such as Ramsey Washington 34, Metro Watershed District. The need to discuss governance is driven by the need for additional 35 financial resources to carry out its new draft plan. Page I of 2