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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2040 Chapter 11 - ResilienceCity of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 759 CHAPTER 11, RESILIENCE 11.1 Introduction As Prior Lake adjusts to increasingly extreme weather events, stress on public facilities, and higher costs of services, there is growing need to not only plan for these events, but to also reduce the impacts through conscious climate adaptation and resilience planning. Not all consequences of climate change are environmental; societal and economic challenges will need to be addressed as well. Resiliency is having the capacity to respond, adapt, and thrive under changing conditions. Consideration of vulnerabilities, and responses to those vulnerabilities, will strengthen Prior Lake’s ability to prepare for and respond to climate impacts. In 2017 the Minnesota Department of Health completed a wide-ranging statewide health assessment report. The report included a chapter on climate, which states in part, “Climate change impacts human health through extreme weather events, wildfires, decreased air quality, threats to mental health, and illnesses transmitted by food, water, and vectors (disease-carriers) like mosquitoes and ticks. Climate change disrupts weather patterns and increases severe weather events that lead to flooding and drought, negatively impacting human health, social networks, land, plants, and wild and domestic animals. Onetime and recurring natural disasters also create widespread stress and challenge the mental well-being of entire communities. The number of severe rainfalls in Minnesota is growing. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), our area has experienced a 37% increase in the amount of precipitation falling in very heavy amounts from the 1950s to today. Annual precipitation amounts have increased by over 20% (around 5.5 inches) in the same timeframe. Flooding can cause injury and death from exposure to floodwaters, harm mental health by destroying homes and property (including the livelihoods of those who depend on the land), cause respiratory illnesses from mold in wet basements, and increase the potential for contaminated drinking water and waterborne infections. Climate change has the potential to have major impacts on infrastructure and environmental assets. These assets are most directly threatened by the increased frequency and intensity of rain storms and heatwaves, which often lead to flooding and power outages, respectively. Completing assessments, utilizing resiliency tools, and applying best management practices are essential for protecting a community and region’s infrastructure and environmental assets. 11.2 Energy Infrastructure and Resources Resilient energy infrastructure and reduced energy and water use enhances reliability of the electricity grid while mitigating climate change impacts. City of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 760 A. Solar Access The Metropolitan Land Planning Act requires that the Comprehensive Plan shall contain an element for the protection and development of access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems. According to the Metropolitan Council, Prior Lake has the following solar potential: The gross solar potential and gross solar rooftop potential are expressed in megawatt hours per year (Mwh/yr), and these estimates are based on the solar map for Prior Lake. These values represent gross totals and are not intended to demonstrate the amount of solar likely to develop within Prior Lake. The calculations estimate the total potential resource before removing areas unsuitable for solar development or factors related to solar energy efficiency. The gross solar generation potential and the gross solar rooftop generation potential for Prior Lake are estimates of how much electricity could be generated using existing technology and assumptions on the efficiency of conversion. The calculations assume a 10% conversion efficiency and current (2016/17) solar technologies. The average home in Minnesota consumes between 9 and 10 Mwh/yr (Solar Energy Industries Association; US Energy Information Administration). Using only Prior Lake’s rooftop generation potential, between 12,575 and 13,973 homes could be powered by solar energy annually. These numbers should be interpreted as a baseline; on average, communities would be able to expect between 30% and 60% of total energy used to be able to be generated by solar rooftops. The rooftop potential estimated here does not consider ownership, financial barriers, or building specific structural limitations. Solar potential in the City of Prior Lake is displayed below. Prior Lake City Code does not restrict the development of access to direct sunlight for solar energy systems. The City of Prior Lake shall continue to consider the impacts of solar access for all new development within the city. Prior Lake believes that a resilient community provides sustainable resource opportunities such as solar, wind, and/or geothermal energy options. “Green” energy initiatives have increased across the country especially in communities with an environmental focus. While these options provide ecological advantages for a lake community such as Prior Lake, model regulations are needing to ensure these alternative energy solutions are implemented in a sustainable way. Prior Lake will consider adopting additional policies and ordinance to include a process for the increased application of sustainable resources. Gross Potential (Mwh/yr) Rooftop Potential (Mwh/yr) Gross Generation Potential (Mwh/yr)2 Rooftop Generation Potential (Mwh/yr)2 23,926,238 1,257,582 2,392,623 125,758 City of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 761 City of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 762 B. Water Conservation 1. Irrigation All outside sprinkling, irrigation and other non-essential outdoor use of the municipal water system for single-family properties are restricted to an odd/even system in conjunction with a 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily ban effective May 1 to Oct. 1. The Prior Lake City Council amended the ordinance related to City Water Works System in 2015. While this amendment did not change restrictions for single family homes, it did provide for changes to homeowners' associations and apartment complexes. North of 160th Street may water on odd numbered days and homeowners' associations and apartments south of 160th Street may water on even numbered days. Rain sensors are required on all newly installed sprinkler systems in Prior Lake per Minnesota Statute 103G.298 - Landscape irrigation systems. A rain sensor detects when it's raining and shuts off the sprinkler system. 2. Water Meter Replacement Starting in September 2018 the City of Prior Lake began replacing all of the water meter radio transmitters installed in all homes and businesses connected to the City's water supply, as well as the central data receivers installed around the City to collect water meter readings. As with the existing system, the meters will transmit readings multiple times per day; however, the new system will also transmit error codes that will help the City identify leaks or other problems with the meters that will improve customer service. As part of the project, the City will also be replacing water meters made by other manufacturers. Moving to a single manufacturer will reduce inventory requirements and streamline maintenance work. C. Water Treatment Plant The City of Prior Lake and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) entered into a water purchase and facility expansion agreement in 2017 for a new joint water treatment facility that will serve both communities. Per the agreement, the City of Prior Lake will have the right to purchase water from the SMSC in amounts up to 2.2 million gallons per day initially and as the SMSC’s needs increase that amount will be reduced over time. However, the City will have the ability to purchase up to 1.5 million gallons per day in perpetuity. Preparing for the future needs of their community and protecting natural resources is critical to the SMSC, as well as the City of Prior Lake. By working together toward these shared goals, the two communities are able to provide necessary water and better protect the area’s groundwater from overuse and pollution. The new water treatment facility is located on the south side of County Road 82. It will be connected to the current water system in Prior Lake, allowing the City and the SMSC to operate their facilities as one system. The newly approved agreement covers City of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 763 all facilities and has no termination date and it replaces the previous 25-year water purchase agreement between the tribe and city from May 2014. The $19.5 million project will primarily be funded by the SMSC. The City will be connecting Well #6 to the new water treatment facility at the City’s expense as part of the project. The city is also contributing $2.5 million for the filter cells that are being constructed now as part of the water treatment facility to allow for future expansion when the city determines that increased water supply is necessary. The initial plant will be able to provide up to 2.4 million gallons of water to the SMSC. The future expansion will provide an additional 2.1 million gallons to the City of Prior Lake. D. Wellhead and Sourcewater Protection The City of Prior Lake operates seven wells; six wells go to the water treatment plant and the seventh well had previously been used during peak summer production periods but now is being connected to the new SMSC water treatment facility. Three aquifers exist in Prior Lake: the Jordan, the Franconia Ironton Galesville (FIG) and the Mt. Simon. Five of the City's the wells pump from the Jordan and are between 345 and 372 feet deep; two pump from the FIG which is 630 feet below ground. The City of Prior Lake has established a wellhead and source water protection program which helps to protect areas near City wells where surface water and pollutants can eventually reach the City's water supply. The City has created a Wellhead Protection Newsletter for residents to receive more information as well as providing resources, so property owners can have their lawn/soils tested before fertilizing. 11.3 Natural Resource Protection Natural resources are beneficial to the social, environmental, and economic vitality of a community. To ensure their quality and benefits, it is essential to plan and manage natural resources and areas as we do residential and commercial areas. As a lake and recreation community, Prior Lake is committed to protection of its natural resources. The City of Prior Lake has adopted a 2040 Vision & Strategic Plan. One of the five goal areas outlined in the plan is Environmental Stewardship & Recreation. The objectives identified to achieve this goal are:  Provide clean and safe drinking water for the community and protect drinking water sources.  Protect and enhance the quality of Prior Lake’s surface waters.  Develop recreation opportunities and park amenities for all stages of life and interests.  Provide public spaces and amenities that attract the community to our natural environment.  Employ emerging technologies to preserve and protect our natural resources. Water quality, natural resources conservation, lakeshore preservation, and varying lake levels all play important roles in the quality of life for each resident, and all citizens can play a role in protecting the health of our natural resources. The City includes resilience planning when considering natural resources protection. Recent updates to key planning documents include updating the Public Works Design Manual (PWDM) to reference City of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 764 updated precipitation frequency models (NOAA Atlas 14) and instituting a Flood Response Policy. A. Surface Water Resources The natural resource areas of greatest significance are Prior Lake, and Spring Lake. There are another twelve lakes in the community in addition to many wetlands, small streams, and stormwater ponds. The City enforces both Shoreland and Floodplain management ordinances which regulate development not only near Prior Lake and Spring Lake, but within 1,000 feet of any lake within the City. The surface water management chapter of this plan contains policies and recommended actions put in place to minimize adverse impacts on these two major water bodies as well as other surface water resources within the City. 1. Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program The City of Prior Lake manages stormwater in accordance with federal, state, and local requirements. The surface water management chapter of this plan includes the framework of the City’s MS4 program. The goal of the City’s MS4 program is to improve water quality by reducing pollutants in stormwater discharges. To achieve that goal, objectives in six categories must be met:  Public education and outreach; includes teaching citizens about better stormwater management  Public participation; includes involving citizens in solving stormwater problems  Illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE); to address discharges to the storm sewer system such as chemical dumping and wastewater connections  Construction site runoff controls  Post-construction runoff controls  Pollution prevention and municipal “good housekeeping” measures; includes inspecting and maintaining stormwater infrastructure, implementing good road salting practices, and sweeping streets 2. Wetland Management The City implements the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA), which establishes a policy of no net loss of wetland area and function in Minnesota. The City’s WCA program is outlined in the surface water management chapter of this plan. 3. Lakeshore Preservation Shoreline erosion is a constant issue for homeowners near lakes. Varying water levels, wave energy, improperly constructed retaining walls, steep slopes, ice action and mowing to the water's edge can all contribute to shoreline erosion. The City of Prior Lake’s website provides information for residents concerning flood preparedness, shoreline erosion, and water quality issues. 4. Floodplain The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently established a new 100-year floodplain elevation for Prior Lake. The City of Prior Lake and the Prior City of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 765 Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District (PLSLWD), in collaboration with Spring Lake Township, completed a Flood Study in 2016. One of the significant components of the Flood Study is a watershed flood model that accurately characterizes the nature of flooding for the areas draining to Prior Lake. The previous flood model was developed in the 1970s and updated in 1997. FEMA used these old flood models to set the 100-year floodplain elevation for Prior Lake at 908.9. The 2016 Flood Study found that the 100-year flood elevation for Prior Lake should be 906.9. The difference of 2 feet is primarily due to the presence of the Prior Lake Outlet Channel (PLOC); Prior Lake was previously a landlocked lake having no natural outlet. The 1997 FEMA update did not consider the presence of the PLOC. 5. Flooding Potential The watershed draining into Spring Lake and Prior Lake encompasses approximately 19,000 acres (30 square miles). Prior Lake does not have a natural outlet and lake levels have fluctuated by more than 15 feet, from extreme low levels in the 1930s and 1980s to the flooding of the 1960s and record-setting flood of 2014. The Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District (PLSLWD) completed the Prior Lake Outlet Structure and Prior Lake Outlet Channel in 1983 which provides significant relief from flooding. The historic average lake level elevation is about 902 feet, and the 100-year flood elevation is 906.9 feet. The 100-year flood elevation is more accurately referred to as the 1% flood, since it is a flood that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. FLOOD LEVELS Body of Water OHW 100-Year Flood RFPE Prior Lake 903.9 ft. 906.9 ft. 907.9 ft. Spring Lake 912.8 ft. 914.4 ft. 915.4 ft. The Ordinary High Water (OHW) level for a lake is an elevation delineating the highest water level that has been maintained for a sufficient period of time to leave evidence upon the landscape, commonly the point where the natural vegetation changes from predominantly aquatic to predominantly terrestrial. The OHW is set by the Department of Natural Resources. The Regulatory Flood Protection Elevation (RFPE) refers to an elevation 1 foot (minimum) above the 100-year flood. In Prior Lake the flood plain regulations require that the elevation of the surface of the lowest floor of a dwelling be at or above the regulatory flood protection elevation. The listed 100-year Flood and RFPE elevations are effective as of July 9, 2018. 6. City of Prior Lake Flood Response Policy The City of Prior Lake Flood Response Policy defines and outlines the City’s response to lake flooding within the City. The City’s primary responsibility during a flooding event is to protect public safety. The City Council prioritizes the following goals:  Protect public safety – maintain emergency vehicle access City of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 766  Protect public health and safety – protect public infrastructure (i.e., sanitary sewer and water distribution)  Maintain traffic flow through the County Road 21 corridor  Maintain access to private property through public rights-of-way Private property owners are responsible for protecting their own private property during flooding events. Property owners may use City flood protection efforts to enhance private property protection efforts; an example of this would be connecting private sandbag walls to road right-of-way barriers. City flood response for Spring Lake and Prior Lake is based on lake elevation trigger points, weather forecasting, watershed conditions, and overall system flow. Lake elevations are determined by the Prior Lake – Spring Lake Watershed District. B. Trees The City of Prior Lake has adopted a Tree Preservation and Restoration ordinance to protect, preserve and enhance the natural environment of the community, and to encourage a resourceful and prudent approach to the development and alteration of wooded areas in the City. The ordinance:  Recognizes and protects the natural environment consistent with the city's mission statement and goals of the comprehensive plan through preservation and protection of significant trees.  Promotes protection of trees for the benefits provided, including beauty, protection against wind and water erosion, enhancement of property values, noise reduction, air quality, energy reduction, buffering, privacy and natural habitats.  Establishes requirements related to cutting, removal or destruction of existing trees, especially significant trees.  Establishes reasonable requirements for replacement of significant trees.  Allows for the development of wooded areas in a manner that minimizes and mitigates the removal and destruction of trees, preserves aesthetics, property values, and the nature and character of the surrounding area.  Provides for the fair and effective enforcement of the regulations contained herein. 1. Hazardous and Diseased Trees The City of Prior Lake has adopted an ordinance as an effort to control and prevent the spread of forest pests and shade tree pests, to prevent the spread of diseases and fungi, and to provide for the removal of hazardous and diseased trees. 2. Emerald Ash Borer Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an insect that attacks and kills ash trees and is spread through the transport of firewood. The adults are small, iridescent green beetles that live outside of trees during the summer months. The larvae are grub or worm- like and live underneath the bark of ash trees. Emerald ash borer larvae kill ash City of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 767 trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk. It is spread through transported firewood. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) confirmed an EAB infestation in Prior Lake on August 25, 2015. The infested tree was detected through a call to the MDA’s Arrest the Pest information phone line from a resident. Because of this find, Scott County will be put under an emergency quarantine and joined other Minnesota counties in a state and federal quarantine. The quarantine is in place to help prevent EAB from spreading outside a known infested area. It is designed to limit the movement of any items that may be infested with EAB, including ash trees and ash tree limbs, as well as all hardwood firewood. The City of Prior Lake instated on ongoing educational campaign, including a Frequently Asked Questions handout, to highlight the biggest risks for spreading EAB, including unknowingly moving firewood or other ash products harboring larvae. Residents are encouraged to:  Buy local firewood.  Burn all firewood completely at each destination  Move only Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified firewood out of a quarantine county or across state boundaries.  Use firewood from nearby sources to heat your home or cabin.  Tell friends about the importance of not moving firewood. Residents are instructed to not:  Move hardwood firewood out of a quarantine county, including Scott County, unless it is MDA or USDA certified.  Move opened firewood bundles.  Move firewood long distances to or from your lake home or cabin. 11.4 Premature Development The City of Prior Lake Subdivision Ordinance includes a section on premature subdivisions. Subdivisions may be deemed premature due to:  Lack of Adequate Drainage  Lack of Adequate Water Supply  Lack of Adequate Roads or Highways To Serve The Subdivision  Lack of Adequate Waste Disposal Systems. A proposed subdivision lacks adequate waste disposal systems if, in subdivisions for which sewer lines are proposed, there is inadequate sewer capacity in the existing system to support the subdivision if developed to its maximum permissible density after reasonable sewer capacity is reserved for schools, planned public facilities, and commercial and industrial development projected for the next five (5) years.  Inconsistency with Comprehensive Plan  Public Service Capacity, or  Inconsistency with Capital Improvement Plans City of Prior Lake Resilience 2040 Comprehensive Plan Page 768 11.5 Historic Natural Resource Areas The City of Prior Lake allows for development of property via Planned Unit Development District (PUD). The PUD offers an alternative to development as outlined in the residential, commercial, and industrial use districts of the zoning ordinance. The PUD District will provide for greater flexibility in the development and redevelopment process as compared to development under the definitive and precise requirements of the conventional use districts if the applicant can demonstrate that the particular areas to be developed can offer greater value to the community and can better meet the community’s health, welfare, and safety requirements than if those same areas were to be developed in a single purpose zone. Some of the benefits the City Council will consider when evaluating a PUD request, are sensitivity to the unique and valuable natural characteristics of a site and whether the site preserves and enhances desirable characteristics and open space and protects the sensitive environmental features including, but not limited to, steep slopes, wetlands, and trees. Where applicable, the PUD also encourage historic preservation, re-use and redevelopment of existing buildings.