“Salt: No Easy Answers,”

Commission

What is the Pioneer-Sarah Creek Watershed Management Commission (PSCWMC)?

The Pioneer-Sarah Creek Watershed Management Commission is a joint powers watershed management organization formed under Minnesota Statutes 103B.201-103B.255 and Minnesota Rules Chapter 8410. The Pioneer-Sarah Creek watershed covers about 70.5 square miles in northwestern Hennepin County.  The six cities in the watershed jointly manage the water resources in this area through the Commission.  The member cities are Greenfield, Independence, Loretto, Maple Plain, Medina and Minnetrista.

What does the Commission do?

The goal of the Commission is to enhance the water quality of the water resources within the watershed. The Commission seeks to carry out this goal through public information and education, analysis of the causes of harmful impacts on the water resources, regulation of the use of water bodies and their beds, regulation of land use, and capital improvement projects.

The water management objectives developed by the Commission are:

• Protect, preserve, and manage surface water and groundwater resources;
• Minimize property damages and economic losses through water resource management;
• Manage public expenditures needed to study, control, and/or correct flooding and water quality problems;
• Educate and inform the public on pertinent water resource management issues and increase public participation in water management activities;
• Identify and plan for means to effectively protect and improve surface and groundwater quality;
• Establish more uniform local policies and official controls for surface and groundwater management;
• Reduce erosion of soil into surface water systems;
• Identify the opportunity to promote groundwater recharge, where feasible;
• Protect and enhance fish and wildlife habitat and water recreational facilities;
• Prevent stream degradation through land protection measures, runoff restrictions, and pollutant restrictions.