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South Washington
Watershed District
Office
2302 Tower Drive,
Woodbury, MN 55125

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ph. 651.714.3729
fx. 651.714.3721
Email Administrator

Watershed Plan

Watershed Management Plan

Watershed districts are local units of government that work to solve and prevent water-related problems. The Minnesota Legislature authorized the creation of watershed districts in 1955, through the Watershed Act, with the idea that managing water on a watershed basis, rather than on the basis of political boundaries, made sense, since water does not stop flowing at city or county boundaries. They also have many similarities, including the requirement to conduct their activities according to an approved watershed management plan.Watershed plans must address a wide variety of topics. In 1992, the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) developed rules (Minnesota Rules Chapter 8410) for plan content. Generally, watershed plans must assess issues within a watershed, set forth goals and policies, include an implementation plan, and incorporate public input during the planning process.

The District’s Watershed Management Plan (WMP) provides guidance for the SWWD to manage the water and natural resources of the watershed. The SWWD plan inventories resources, assesses resource quality, and establishes regulatory controls or physical improvements to maintain environmental quality of the watershed. The South Washington Watershed District has updated its watershed management plan. A watershed management plan lays out a framework for how a Watershed District will manage its resources, and how the District will interact with other agencies such as cities or the county.

  • Plan Update

    The SWWD’s updated plan includes policies and related information critical to managing urban development and growth. The plan identifies priority issues for the District to address. A 10-year work plan has been developed that identifies projects and programs which address these priority issues and other important areas. The updated plan also focuses on characterizing the quality and management of key lake resources in the watershed.

    Cover (2.8mb)
    Table of Contents
    Executive Summary
    Chp. 1 Introduction (1.8mb)
    Chp. 2 Long Range Work Plan
    Chp. 3 Assessment of Issues (2.0mb)
    Chp. 4 Review of Relevant Data (19mb)
    Chp. 5 Goals, Policies and Programs
    Chp. 6 Standards (6.0mb)
    Chp. 7 Watershed Administration (1.1mb)
    Chp. 8 Watershed Description (9.3mb)
    Glossary and Acronyms

    Chapter 1 Maps
    Map 1.1
    Map 1.2

    Chapter 3 Maps
    Map 3.1
    Map 3.2

    Chapter 4 Maps
    Map 4.1
    Map 4.2

    Chapter 6 Maps
    Map 6.1
    Map 6.2
    Map 6.3
    Map 6.4
    Map 6.5

    Chapter 7 Maps
    Map 7.1

    Chapter 8 Maps
    Map 8.1
    Map 8.2
    Map 8.3
    Map 8.4
    Map 8.5
    Map 8.6
    Map 8.7
    Map 8.8
    Map 8.9
    Map 8.10
    Map 8.11
    Map 8.12
    Map 8.13

    Technical Appendix
    Table of Contents
    Appendix A. History of District
    Appendix B. Bibliography
    Appendix C. Stakeholder Involvement Process (3.5mb)
    Appendix D. Hydrological Input Parameters
    Appendix E. Critical Storage Maps(7.5mb)
    Appendix F. Subwatershed Drainage Map (1.6mb)
    Appendix G. Precipitation Data
    Appendix H. Mean Daily Flow Data (Box Plots)
    Appendix I. Stream Quality Concentration Data (Box Plots)
    Appendix J. Stream Quality Concentration Tabular Data (3mb)
    Appendix K. Lake Data (Box Plots)
    Appendix L. Groundwater Data (Box Plots)
    Appendix M. Decision Trees for Selecting Best Management Practices

    Guidance Documents

    SWWD Rules Adopted December 2011

    SWWD Greenway Plan

    LSCWMO Karst Inventory and Management Plan

    LSCWMO O’Conners Stream and Lake Management Plan

    LSCWMO Trout Brook Management Plan

    LSCWMO 2009 Watershed Management Plan

    SWWD Powers Lake Management Plan

    SWWD Monitoring Plan

    SWWD DRAFT Wetland Management Plan

    SWWD Ravine Lake Management Plan

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