Credit River Township Officials Participate in SW Metro Groundwater Work Group

Water resources are becoming a problem in Scott County. There have been some preliminary reports of wells running dry in the past couple of years. Due to environmental concerns, some areas are unable to sink additional wells which is one of the problems. Increasing demands caused by additional development and recreational use in the county also contribute to bringing additional  stress on our water resources.

John Kane, Credit River Board Chair, Jerry Maas, Township Clerk and John Roach, Township Attorney have been attending meetings with the South West Metro Groundwater Work Group over the past year. This organization was formed to look into ways to address future water shortages in the SW metro area. Government officials from both Scott and Dakota counties as well as representatives from the DNR, Minnesota Department of Health, and various Public Utilities groups constitute the group.

Infiltration Ponds

Perhaps you've noticed a number of "man-made" ponds as you drive past some o the newer developments. The purpose of these is to hold stormwater and let it "infiltrate" back into the ground as a means of minimizing runoff and conserving water.

Issues using this approach are poor infiltration when clay soils are present and water quality standards when thin, sandy soils are present. So special conditions must exist for this technique to work properly.

Tips for "Green Lawn" 

While "Conserving" Water

Credit River Township to Participate in NPDES Phase II Permitting Process

Since the passage of the Federal Clean Water Act (See link on left) in 1972, the quality of our Nation's waters has improved dramatically. Despite this progress, however, degraded water bodies still exist. According to the 1996 National Water Quality Inventory, a biennial summary of State surveys of water quality, approximately 40 percent of surveyed U.S. water bodies are still impaired by pollution and do not meet water quality standards. A leading source of this impairment is polluted runoff.  In fact, according to the inventory, 13 percent of impaired rivers, 21 percent of impaired  lake acres and 45 percent of impaired estuaries are affected by urban/suburban storm water runoff and 6 percent of impaired rivers, 11 percent of impaired lake acres and 11 percent of impaired estuaries are affected by construction site discharges.

Phase 1 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) storm water program was promulgated in 1990 under the CWA. Phase 1 relies on National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit coverage to address storm water runoff from (1) medium and large municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4's) generally serving populations of 100,000 or greater, (2) construction activity disturbing 5 acres of land or greater and (3) ten categories of industrial activity

The Storm Water Phase II Final Rule is the next step in EPA's effort to preserve, protect and improve the Nation's water resources from polluted storm water runoff. The Phase II program expands the Phase I program by requiring additional operators of MS4's in urbanized areas and operators of small construction sites, through the use of NPDES permits, to implement programs and practices to control polluted storm water runoff. Credit River Township has been identified being an operator of such an MS4. and as such will be making application to the EPA for such a permit by the March 10th deadline.

Waste Water Treatment 

(Septic Systems)

Living in a rural setting is a a new experience for many of the residents of Credit River Township. As a result, managing a "mini wastewater treatment system"  presents an unfamiliar challenge. Properly maintained, these individual wastewater treatment systems (septic tanks) represent a far superior method of treating waste and can last for years. Improperly maintained, they can fail prematurely causing a whole host of problems for both the homeowner and the community.

On the left are a number of links to resources providing information on septic systems. We encourage you to get familiar with the basics...it can save you a lot of money.