2017-2026 Watershed Management Plan

The 2017-2026 Brown's Creek Watershed District Management Plan was adopted by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources on September 28, 2016 and by the BCWD Board of Managers on October 12, 2016, and was amended in January 2018 and October 2019.

The final approved plan and appendices can be accessed by clicking here.

Dedicated to getting water resource improvement projects on the ground!

Approximately 25% of the annual budget will be allocated to the District’s Capital Improvement Program to construct projects that have a direct benefit to the Brown’s Creek watershed’s surface water or groundwater resources, allocated to impaired resources (as described in more detail in section 2.1.4):

● 70% to Brown’s Creek
● 15% to Long Lake
● 5% to South School Section Lake
● 10% to all of the other waterbodies

Main Issues and Goals

  1. Stormwater Runoff Management - Improve the quality and quantity of stormwater runoff to reduce impacts (e.g. pollutant loadings, loss of groundwater recharge, alterations to wetland hydrology) to downstream waterbodies.
  2. Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control - Protect the District’s water bodies from the impacts of sedimentation, excessive streambank and shoreline erosion, and adjacent upland erosion.
  3. Stream Management - Improve the water quality and ecological integrity of Brown’s Creek and its tributaries.
  4. Lake Management - Restore the water quality of degraded lakes and protect the water quality in lakes that meet state water quality standards.
  5. Wetland Management - Maintain or improve the quality of the watershed’s wetland systems.
  6. Floodplain Management - Protect and manage flood storage areas to reduce impacts of flooding and promote groundwater recharge.
  7. Groundwater Management - Protect the quantity and quality of groundwater to maintain baseflow to the Brown’s Creek watershed’s groundwater dependent natural resources.
  8. Ecological Health - Promote the ecological integrity and connectivity of the Brown’s Creek watershed’s ecosystems.
  9. Monitoring & Data Collection - Collect high quality monitoring data that can be used to support cost-effective management decisions & evaluate performance in achieving the goals of this Plan.
  10. Regulations - Maintain a clear and effective permitting program to protect the District’s surface water and groundwater resources.
  11. Climate Change Adaptation - Develop a better understanding of climate change, its impact to the District’s land and water resources, and adaptive management strategies to address this emerging issue.
  12. Recreation - Manage the watershed’s natural resources to enhance their recreational value.
  13. Education, Outreach and Stewardship - Provide education and outreach services to all audiences to promote good stewardship of the water and natural resources.
  14. Land Conservation - Identify and pursue opportunities to preserve and restore land in the watershed to protect the quality of downstream resources.
  15. Funding - Maintain a tax levy that is adequate to conduct the activities of the District but minimizes impact to taxpayers.

Amendment January 2018

The BCWD amended the 2017-2026 Watershed Management Plan in January 2018 for the following purposes:

  • Include the Brown’s Creek Conservation Area Management Plan to manage natural resources along Brown's Creek
  • Include the Marylane Drainage project to address a drainage issue with the City of Stillwater
  • Remove the septic cost-share program after determining that septic systems are not a significant E.coli source in Brown's Creek
  • Remove specific TSS reduction projects for Brown’s Creek that have been investigated further and found to be infeasible
  • Insert the rules effective February 1, 2018 in Appendix F.

Amendment October 2019

The BCWD amended the 2017-2026 Watershed Management Plan on October 9, 2019 for the following purposes:

• Update Implementation Plan - Add Stormwater Reuse Projects: Oak Glen Golf Course, Stillwater Country Club, and Long Lake Regional Treatment
• Update Implementation Plan - Add Diversion Tributaries Headcut Repairs

Specific updates:
• Updated the date in the header
• Pg. vii- Added four reference documents (three regarding reuse feasibility and one on tributary headcut repairs)
• Pg 4 – Updated current Board Managers
• Pg 14 – Added implementation item for stormwater reuse projects
• Pg 16 – Added implementation item for stormwater reuse projects to Table 6 and revised totals
• Pg 25 – Added implementation funding for additional tributary incision and headcuts identified in 2019
• Pg 38 – Added Goal for promote groundwater conservation
• Pg 38 – Added implementation item for stormwater reuse projects
• Pg 42 – Added implementation item for stormwater reuse to table 29
• Pg 93 – Added implementation item for stormwater reuse and updated totals for Stormwater Runoff Management
• Pg 94 – Updated totals for Stream Management
• Pg 96– Added funding for tributary headcut repair project in 2020
• Pg 109 – Updated totals for the 10-year Implementation Plan.

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