Executive Summary Introduction This document is developed in accordance with the regulatory requirements listed below under the Purpose heading. This Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) initiates the fifth decade of the City of Minneapolis (City) programs and practices that have modernized the sanitary sewer and stormwater drainage systems that directly impact water resources in the City. The modern era of water resource management was initiated in the 1960s Sailboats on Lake Harriet when the focus was on the water quality of the Mississippi River. Ongoing overflows of combined sewage and stormwater had resulted in a noticeable decline in the River’s water quality. This approach set in the 1960s, continuing into the 1970s, aimed to reduce the occurrence of these overflows through separation of the sanitary sewer and stormwater systems in conjunction with a City-wide street paving program. In the 1980s, the City began to focus on Bassett Creek, Minnehaha Creek, and Shingle Creek water quality through partnership with watershed organizations. In the 1990s, while the sewer separation Credit: Minneapolis Public Works was winding down and the watershed management programs were growing, the City expanded its water quality focus to encompass the entire City through the initiation of activities designed to improve the quality of the stormwater runoff. Actions during that era included targeted projects such as the Chain of Lakes Water Quality Improvement Project, and initiation of City-wide activities such as increased frequency of street cleaning. Also in the 1990s, the City began a program to construct stormwater basins and other stormwater capacity improvements aimed at mitigation of areas of ongoing street and building flooding. In the 2000s, the focus shifted back to the sanitary sewers to locate and eliminate sources of clear water to the sanitary sewer, which was identified as necessary to fully eliminate the occurrence of infrequent overflows from the sanitary sewers to the Mississippi River. With the development of this WRMP, Primary activities implemented included identification the City aims to fully integrate and elimination of rooftop drainage connections to management of the sanitary sewer and the sanitary sewers, and identification and elimination stormwater drainage systems to create of other sources of inflow/infiltration (I/I). By the a holistic approach to water resource 2010s, all of these activities initiated since the 1960s management. were successfully working together to improve and protect the water resources within the City. ES-1 This approach is founded in the City’s commitment to protect water resources in a manner that respects the needs and demands of all water-related actions, such that activities related to the management of one system are to the benefit, and not detriment, of the other system. Purpose The Minneapolis Vision is the foundation of the City’s goals and strategic direction that guides management The Minneapolis Vision is that the City is of the City and serves as the foundation for programs a growing and vibrant world-class city and activities implemented as part of the City’s 2040 with a flourishing economy and a Comprehensive Plan and this Water Resource pristine environment, where all people Management Plan. are safe, healthy, and have equitable Successful management of the City’s water resources opportunities for success and happiness. requires a comprehensive program that respects the needs of the water resource while concurrently meeting regulatory requirements and achieving sound fiscal management. The City has prepared this WRMP as a comprehensive planning document that balances these demands as the City conserves, protects, and manages its water resources. This WRMP: . Compiles, summarizes, and Cedar Lake Road Loch Ness Sculpture by Bruce Stillman references efforts of agencies, organizations, and departments of the City and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB). Links are provided to allow users of this report to access specific information that is summarized, but not fully covered, in this WRMP. Reviews the current state of the City’s water resources in the context of sanitary sewer and stormwater drainage system goals and policies, ordinances, operations and maintenance practices, flood mitigation, and other water Credit: Minneapolis Public Works resource goals. Establishes reasonable and affordable goals that support achievable results within the established regulatory and management structure. Lays out the City’s approach to assessment, planning, and implementation that is used in the event that a new project or program is required to achieve water resource management goals. This WRMP is developed in accordance with these multiple regulatory requirements: ES-2 . Local Water Plan requirements of Minnesota Statute Section 103b.235 and corresponding Rule 8410.0160. Water resource management plan content of the 2018 Minneapolis Comprehensive Plan, as required in Minnesota Statute Section 473.859, and as defined in Metropolitan Council’s Thrive 2040 Water Resource Policy Plan. Municipal sewage collection plan content as required by Minnesota Statute 473.513, and as defined in Metropolitan Council’s Thrive 2040 Water Resource Policy Plan. Supplementary Local Water Plan requirements specific to each of the four watershed management organizations with jurisdiction in the City of Minneapolis: Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC), Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD), Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO), and Shingle Creek Watershed Management Commission (SCWMC). Content Detailed information on water resource management in the City of Minneapolis is organized into six sections in this WRMP: Section 1 – History and Overview of Minneapolis Water Resources Section 1 describes significant background information that is the foundation of the City of Minneapolis water resource management program. Information includes: . The history of the City’s sewer Quaking Bog systems. Current trends in the City’s water resource management. The categories of water resources, as defined by the City: surface water, sanitary collection systems, and stormwater drainage systems. Required content and approvals for this WRMP. Procedures to amend this WRMP. Credit: Minneapolis Public Works . The role of the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Integrated Permit requirements for annual water resource management reports. ES-3 Section 2 – Regulatory Requirements, Goals, and Policies Section 2 summarizes regulatory requirements that influence water resource management in the City. The section outlines Federal, State, and Regional requirements and associated programs, organized according to the following public agencies that establish water resource management requirements that affect the City: . United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR). Metropolitan Council. Hennepin County. Watershed Management Organizations: BCWMC, MCWD, MWMO, and SCWMC. Collaboration with these multiple regulatory organizations is important to successful water Section 2 outlines that the City resource management. Section 2 also includes: collaborates with regulatory partners on public and private project . The City and MPRB goals, strategic direction, and water resource guiding principles that development and on ordinances, direct water resource management. guidance documents, and policy updates that impact water resources. Responsibilities for implementation of goals and policies. Descriptions of sanitary sewer and water resource management cooperative agreements. Summaries of how the City complies with major regulatory requirements. Section 3 – Land and Surface Water Inventory and Assessment Section 3 provides an extensive inventory and detailed characteristics of the physical environment of the City, with an emphasis on the water resources that exist within the municipal boundary of the City: . Thirteen (13) lakes, four (4) streams, and a 12-mile segment of the Mississippi River. Thirty-eight (38) miles of shoreline are contained within the 6.400 acres of MPRB-owned parks. 30.61 inches of average precipitation falls each year in the form of rain and snow. Four (4) watershed management agencies oversee and guide water resource management. ES-4 Section 3 also contains detailed information of the City’s population, parks, neighborhoods, soils, climate, bedrock, geology, topography, land use, zoning, wetlands, groundwater, and source water protection. Detailed information is summarized for each of the waterbodies within the City, plus an additional 10 waterbodies outside the City’s boundaries which receive stormwater runoff discharges from the City’s stormwater drainage system. The information provided for each waterbody includes a summary of the physical characteristics (MNDNR ID number, MNDNR classification, MN Chapter 7050 use classification, surface area or length, downstream waterbody, watershed area, and watershed management organization), and a summary of known water quality parameters and values. The waterbody history, inventory of studies, and completed capital improvement projects are also included. The MPRB is an important partner involved in ongoing monitoring of the water quality of many of the City’s lakes and streams. Information collected by the MPRB,