Capitol Region Watershed District (District) has completed its 2021 – 2030 Watershed Management Plan (Plan). The Plan will guide District actions in a coordinated, thoughtful, and effective manner over the period from 2021-2030.
A ten-page overview of the Plan is available below. It summarizes the content of the Plan including examples of our work, the communities we serve, organizational values, themes for our work, priority issues, goals, focus areas, funding, District programs, and District projects and Capital Improvements.
This plan carries forward many of the issues, goals, and themes included in the District’s 2010 Watershed Management Plan as well as offers new themes, programs and activities. It builds on a strong foundation of programs, projects, and partnerships to address the most immediate water resource management needs and increase the effectiveness of its efforts in the face of new and evolving challenges. The full 2021-2030 Plan and Appendices including Land and Water Resources Inventory are available below.
Themes – During Plan development, stakeholders identified several recurring topics that affect a wide range of District operations, programs, and projects. These topics are included in this Plan as themes because it is anticipated that they will be considered and pervade every aspect of District work over the next 10 years.
Land and Water Resource Inventory– The Plan summarizes all land and water resources and their current conditions within the District to inform decisions about infrastructure, development, and resource management.
Priority Issues – Issues presented in the Plan include an evolution of existing issues and new issues and reflect the unique challenges applicable to diverse, highly urban watershed. Issues were identified by stakeholder engagement and staff feedback and prioritized by the Board of Managers.
Goals – The Plan establishes multiple measurable goals to address the issues. Many of the District’s goals address multiple issues, reinforcing the interconnection of water, natural resource, and land use management.
Implementation Plan – The District implementation plan includes the continuation of ongoing programs and activities as well as new activities to address emerging issues, new opportunities and changing priorities.
Cost – Estimated costs, year(s) of implementation, partners, priority level, and measurable outputs of each activity are presented in a table.
View the 2021-2030 Watershed Management Plan - Main BodyThe Watershed Management Plan process is outlined in Minnesota Statutes 103B and Minnesota Rules 8410.
The Plan was developed over a period of a year and half in collaboration with District partners and community members who serve key roles in achieving District goals. Community engagement activities and findings are summarized below.
The Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources (BWSR) approved CRWD’s Watershed Management Plan in October 2020. CRWD’s Board of Managers adopted the Plan in November 2020.
As part of the development of the Plan, the District engaged Plan stakeholders including residents, neighborhood organizations, community groups, state agencies, property and business owners, Community Advisory Committee (CAC), a technical advisory committee (TAC) representing municipalities, State and regional agencies and major institutions, and adjacent watershed organizations.
From April through June 2019 community input with Plan stakeholders included participation at community events in the District, discussions with District Planning Councils, watershed community conversations, meetings with community leaders, and online surveys.
Community members shared their thoughts on valuable community resources, citing recreation benefits and the importance of access to water and natural resources on their lives, and opportunities for resource improvement.
The Virtual Community Meeting on June 24, 2020 was recorded and is available below or on Vimeo. Administrator Mark Doneux introduces the meeting with a brief background of District and the importance of the Plan. The presentation by Anna Eleria, Planning, Projects and Grants Division Manager and WMP project lead, includes an overview of the draft Plan and the planning process, followed by public questions and comments.