5.1. PCSR 08-24-2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Udo i v�l Preserve Natural Amenities In addition,the City should also continue to work with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to improve Elk River is home to a diverse variety of natural landscapes and monitor water quality in the Elk and Mississippi Rivers including forests,wetlands,oak savanna,prairies,agricul- and Lake Orono to ensure they are safe for recreational tural lands,the Elk and Mississippi Rivers,and Lake Orono. use. These incredible natural assets add to the beauty of the community and provide residents and visitors countless recreation and leisure opportunities that add to the high Utilize Green Infrastructure quality of life in Elk River.Preserving these natural ameni- The Elk River and Lake Orono are within the Lower Elk ties is crucial to ensure they are available for generations to River subwatershed of the Mississippi watershed.Roughly come.Key to this will be a balanced approach to develop- 30%of land in this subwatershed is used for crops,nearly ment that is respectful of the existing native landscapes in twice the area as the St.Cloud subwatershed.Run off the community. from agricultural chemicals and feedlots into waterways has been proven to negatively impact the quality of water Promote Conservation Design bodies and can impact whether they are safe to use as a recreational amenity.To further protect water quality,the The City of Elk River has over 5,650 acres of wetlands. City should utilize green infrastructure throughout the Wetland ecosystems have many benefits including community.Green infrastructure helps to naturally retain naturally improving water quality,protecting against and filter water as it drains into the ground and re-enters flood damage,promoting diversity of life,and providing a the watershed,these strategies help to keep pollutants variety of food sources to support the food chain.The City from washing directly into waterways and include: should work to preserve its existing wetlands and natural amenities,include riparian buffers around them,as well as • Native landscaping; integrates them into proposed developments by promoting . Grassed swales; conservation design.Additional detail on how the City can encourage and incentivize conservation development is • Infiltration basins; included in the Chapter Housing Plan. • Bioretention facilities; • Improve Water Quality Rain gardens; The Elk River watershed spans 613 square miles.The Green roofs; watershed has suffered from high levels of pollutants in Soil amendments; the past and has seen roughly 275 water improvement • Fertilizer application control;,and projects since 1994.Better water quality has been recorded in both Lake Orono and Elk River over the last 10 years, • Non-chloride(road salt)snow and ice controls. but the water bodies still exceed the state level for safe Additional detail on these strategies is included in the bacteria.To mitigate pollutants in Elk Rivers waterways,the Chapter 4 Infrastructure 8 Urban Service Area Plan. City should continue to implement its Stormwater Pollu- tion Prevention Plan(SWPPP)to reduce pollutant run off. 114 Parks,Open Space&Natural Resources Plan•Elk River Comprehensive Plan DRAFT FOR REVIEW ONLY