What is an Annual Report?
All Watershed Districts must prepare a yearly report of the financial conditions of the Watershed District, the status of all projects, the business transacted by the Watershed District and other matters affecting the interests of the Watershed District. In addition, the work plan for the next year must be included. A work plan designates program categories and work tasks or projects within each category each fiscal year.
Copies of the report must be submitted to the Board of Water and Soil Resources within 120 days of the end of the calendar year.
In accordance with Minnesota Rules 8410.0150, the annual activity report must contain:
- a list of the organization’s board members, names of designated officers, and the governmental organization that each board member represents for joint powers organizations and the county that each member is appointed by for watershed districts
- a identification of a contact person capable of answering questions about the organization including a postal and electronic mailing address and telephone number
- an assessment of the previous year’s annual work plan that indicates whether the stated activities were completed including the expenditures of each activity with respect to the approved budget unless included in the audit report
- a work plan and budget for the current year specifying which activities will be undertaken
- at a minimum of every two years, an evaluation of progress on goals and the implementation actions, including the capital improvement program, to determine if amendments to the implementation actions are necessary according to part 8410.0140, subpart 1, item C, using the procedures established in the goals and implementation sections of the plan under parts 8410.0080, subpart 1, and 8410.0105, subpart 1
- a summary of significant trends of monitoring data required by part 8410.0105, subpart 5
- a copy of the annual communication required by part 8410.0105, subpart 4
- the organization’s activities related to the biennial solicitations for interest proposals for legal, professional, or technical consultant services under Minnesota Statutes, section 103B.227, subdivision 5
- an evaluation of the status of local water plan adoption and local implementation of activities required by the watershed management organization according to part 8410.0105, subpart 1, items B and C, during the previous year
- the status of any locally adopted ordinances or rules required by the organization including their enforcement
- a summary of the permits and variances issued or denied and violations under rule or ordinance requirements of the organization or local water plan
MS4 Reports
The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program addresses water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants to waters of the United States. Created in 1972 by the Clean Water Act, the NPDES permit program is authorized to state governments by EPA to perform many permitting, administrative, and enforcement aspects of the program.
In Minnesota, this program is implemented by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Phase I of the NPDES stormwater program focused on controlling pollution from industrial activities, construction activities disturbing more than 5 acres of land, and municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4) with populations greater than 100,000.
Phase II of the NPDES stormwater program was initialized by MPCA in 2006. It builds on Phase I by lowering the threshold for requiring stormwater permits for construction and municipal activities. The program requires that permittees establish a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP). In all cases, Best Management Practices (BMPs) are to be identified and implemented in order to minimize stormwater runoff impacts to receiving waters.
SWWD was regulated as an MS4 permittee even though it did not own or operate a separate storm sewer system when MPCA originally issued the first MS4 general permit. Since then, construction of SWWD’s Central Draw Storage Facility and Overflow has more clearly established SWWD as an MS4 permittee.
MPCA: Administers all three components of NPDES Phase II.
SWWD: Must comply with the MS4 general permit because it meets the definitions of a permittee. The District may also choose to support cities and other local government units with their MS4 compliance efforts by providing educational materials, assisting with construction site erosion control inspections, establishing design guidance for stormwater management, or partnering on water quality improvement projects.
Other LGUs: Cities and townships wholly or partially in the urbanized area which own or operate an MS4, Washington County, and MnDOT are all mandatory MS4 permittees. This includes: Cottage Grove, Lake Elmo, Newport, Oakdale, St. Paul Park, and Woodbury.
Additionally, Cottage Grove and Woodbury must comply with the MS4 Permit’s nondegradation rule. They must perform a loading assessment to evaluate nonpoint source impacts to receiving water since 1988. They must demonstrate ongoing and/or new ways to reduce current and future loads and runoff volumes to 1988 levels.