Consider Recommendation from the Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization to Provide Educational Campaign for Rum River Wild and Scenic Overlay District

In 1978, the State of Minnesota added the Rum River to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.  The stretch of river through Ramsey is designated as Scenic (meaning, at the time of designation, the adjacent lands were mostly undeveloped and therefore provided a sense of natural character).  When the State added the Rum River to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, they also developed a Management Plan and directed local municipalities and counties to adopt and enforce zoning standards in compliance with the Management Plan.  The City of Ramsey officially adopted the Scenic River Protection Overlay District, which incorporated the standards outlined in Minnesota Rules 6105.1400 through 6105.1500.

The added layer of protection provided by the Overlay District is really intended to maintain the natural and scenic views from the river and protect against degradation of water quality and wildlife habitat.  Concerns regarding potential violations are handled through the City's Code Enforcement Program.  However, over the years, that has proven somewhat challenging since oftentimes, potential violations can only be viewed from the river (City Staff cannot enter private property without the property owner's consent).

More recently, the Lower Rum River Watershed Management Organization (LRRWMO) has initiated an annual 'float tour' of the Rum River though Ramsey, Andover and ending in Anoka.  The primary purpose of this is to identify potential erosion concerns, which can obviously have a negative impact on water quality.  However, this has also afforded City Staff from all three communities to identify potential violations of the Overlay District.  The most common potential violations involve non-permitted structures and docks and stairways that have expanded areas (e.g. platforms/decks) for seating and gatherings, which conflict with the standards of the Overlay District.

When the Rum River was originally entered into the Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, there was momentum to ensure property owners were aware of the added regulations that apply to riparian lots.  However, over time, some of the literature that was originally developed by the MN DNR, has become outdated and/or obsolete.  In light of some of the potential violations that are now being identified, Staff intends to initiate an educational mailer for all property owners along the Rum River.  The purpose of this mailing would be to remind (or inform) property owners that there are regulations pertaining to land use activities along the river and that if verified, property owners will need to bring properties into compliance.

Staff has attached the draft letter to this case.  It is anticipated that this may generate a number of calls (and initially, this likely will require significant staff time in terms of follow up and potential violation notices).  However, Staff is hopeful that by doing a similar mailing periodically (maybe on an every other year basis), it will result in fewer calls and reduce the number of potential violations along the Rum River.

This is being handled as part of Staff's regular duties.

While no specific action is needed, if the Board has any feedback on the draft letter or recommendations for additional information to include, this would be the time to provide it.