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

• Colby Lake Management Plan
• Afton Alps Study
• 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