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Stormwater Implement Green Infrastructure As the State of Minnesota has experienced more intense The City of Elk River is responsible for its stormwater rain events,green infrastructure offers cost-effective, management system.Through the City's Stormwater resilient approaches to management of wet weather Management Plan,Elk River maintains a system of catch impacts.The definition of"green infrastructure"goes back basins,pipes,ditches,and detention ponds.There is no to the Clean Water Act,in which it is identified as a range Watershed District or Water Management Organization of measures such as plant or soil systems,permeable with jurisdiction in the City.This means the City is regu- surfaces,or landscaping to store or infiltrate stormwater lated as a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System(MS4) and reduce flows to sewer systems or to surface waters. community,responsible for compliance with National Single purpose"gray stormwater"infrastructure(conven- Pollution Discharge Elimination System(NPDES)permit- tional piped drainage)works to move stormwater away ting requirements,including its Stormwater Ordinance from the built environment.Conversely,green infrastruc- and the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan(SWPPP). ture reduces and treats stormwater at its source,while often providing other environmental,social,or economic Encourage the Integration of Ponds benefits.Most of Elk River has soils that are conducive to in Developments as a means for green infrastructure principles;that is,the soils tend to Stormwater Management drain well.In some locations near water supply wells,the With nearly 400 stormwater ponds in the City's system, application of green infrastructure infiltration measures ponds are a major component of water management in Elk needs to be done with care to ensure contaminants are not River.Stormwater ponds enable treatment of drainage in introduced to the water supply. ways,such as the settling of sediment particles,which can The schematic below provides an overview of the spectrum accumulate over time and require maintenance to ensure of stormwater control practices from green to gray infra- performance of the system.The City should continue to structure.As Elk River grows and considers new opportu- monitor its stormwater ponds and incorporate pond issue nities for optimizing its investments in the built environ- resolution into other development projects like it did with ment,green infrastructure practices should be evaluated. the Redefine 169 project. While helping to mimic or restore natural hydrology to areas,it may also create secondary ecosystem benefits with natural habitat,water purification,erosion protection, and a more sustainable urban environment. Stormwater Control Measures (SCM) Natural Areas Stormwater Ponds Rain Filtration& Temporary Underground Conventional &Wetlands Garden Infiltration Basin Flood Storage Storage Drainage Intact forests, SCMs capable of vegetated SCMs in Surface SCMs like Surface SCMs like Underground SCMs, Urban drainage Wetlands,and other providing habitat and urban or suburban sand fitters within dry ponds with potentially including strategies,primarily undeveloped areas resembling natural settings minimal vegetation minimal vegetation storage,filtration,or concrete-based with areas or infiltration infiltration limited infiltration or storage Green Infrastructure Gray Infrastructure Source,Taguchi VJ,Weiss PT,Gulliver K,Klein MR,HozolskiRM,Baker LA,FirlayJC,KeelerBL NieberJl,ItlsNotEosyBeing Greerr Recognizing Unintended Consequences of Green Sto-terinfinsiructure Water.202012(2):522 https//doi.org4D..3390IM2020522 100 Infrastructure•Elk River Comprehensive Plan DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY