Valley Branch Watershed District Planning

The Valley Branch Watershed District (VBWD) is a public organization tasked with protecting and managing local water resources (e.g., streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands) within an area spanning 14 cities and townships in Washington and Ramsey Counties. A map of the VBWD and additional information about the organization is available from their website at www.vbwd.org.

The VBWD is in the process of updating its Watershed Management Plan which, once adopted, will guide VBWD actions for the next 10 years. The VBWD is seeking input from you as it begins this process. Please take our brief survey to help us to better understand your concerns and priorities regarding our local water resources (it should take about 5-10 minutes to answer the nine question survey).

Question Title

* 1. Do you live, work, recreate, or own property within the Valley Branch Watershed District (VBWD) boundary (webmap is available at www.vbwd.org)? If so, in what city or township? (select all that apply)

	live	work	recreate	own property
Afton	Afton live	Afton work	Afton recreate	Afton own property
Baytown	Baytown live	Baytown work	Baytown recreate	Baytown own property
Grant	Grant live	Grant work	Grant recreate	Grant own property
Lake Elmo	Lake Elmo live	Lake Elmo work	Lake Elmo recreate	Lake Elmo own property
Lake St. Croix Beach	Lake St. Croix Beach live	Lake St. Croix Beach work	Lake St. Croix Beach recreate	Lake St. Croix Beach own property
Mahtomedi	Mahtomedi live	Mahtomedi work	Mahtomedi recreate	Mahtomedi own property
Maplewood	Maplewood live	Maplewood work	Maplewood recreate	Maplewood own property
North St. Paul	North St. Paul live	North St. Paul work	North St. Paul recreate	North St. Paul own property
Oak Park Heights	Oak Park Heights live	Oak Park Heights work	Oak Park Heights recreate	Oak Park Heights own property
Oakdale	Oakdale live	Oakdale work	Oakdale recreate	Oakdale own property
Pine Springs	Pine Springs live	Pine Springs work	Pine Springs recreate	Pine Springs own property
St. Mary’s Point	St. Mary’s Point live	St. Mary’s Point work	St. Mary’s Point recreate	St. Mary’s Point own property
West Lakeland	West Lakeland live	West Lakeland work	West Lakeland recreate	West Lakeland own property
White Bear Lake	White Bear Lake live	White Bear Lake work	White Bear Lake recreate	White Bear Lake own property
Woodbury	Woodbury live	Woodbury work	Woodbury recreate	Woodbury own property

Other relationship to the Valley Branch Watershed District:

Question Title

* 2. How do you interact with the water and natural resources (lakes, streams, wetlands, natural areas) in your community (e.g., wildlife watching, swimming, fishing, kayaking, waterskiing)?

Question Title

* 3. How does the health of surface water, groundwater, and natural resources affect you, your friends, or your community?

Question Title

* 4. How would you characterize the overall quality of surface waters within your community:

good

fair

poor

don't know

Why do you characterize the quality of water resources this way?

Question Title

* 5. What, if any, specific actions you would like to see the Valley Branch Watershed District take to manage to protect and manage local water resources?

Question Title

* 6. Are there specific water resources in the Valley Branch Watershed District you would like to see improved?

Question Title

* 7. What is your level of concern regarding the following water resource management issues?

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 8. How would you characterize your understanding of the following specific water resource management and stormwater management issues?

	I know a lot about this issue	I am aware of or know a little about this issue	I am not aware of this issue
Flood risk and flood risk mitigation in my area	Flood risk and flood risk mitigation in my area I know a lot about this issue	Flood risk and flood risk mitigation in my area I am aware of or know a little about this issue	Flood risk and flood risk mitigation in my area I am not aware of this issue
Invasive species (e.g., Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels)	Invasive species (e.g., Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels) I know a lot about this issue	Invasive species (e.g., Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels) I am aware of or know a little about this issue	Invasive species (e.g., Eurasian watermilfoil, zebra mussels) I am not aware of this issue
Pollution resulting from winter salt use	Pollution resulting from winter salt use I know a lot about this issue	Pollution resulting from winter salt use I am aware of or know a little about this issue	Pollution resulting from winter salt use I am not aware of this issue
Contamination of groundwater and surface water from “forever chemicals”	Contamination of groundwater and surface water from “forever chemicals” I know a lot about this issue	Contamination of groundwater and surface water from “forever chemicals” I am aware of or know a little about this issue	Contamination of groundwater and surface water from “forever chemicals” I am not aware of this issue
Increased frequency of extremes in rainfall and weather event	Increased frequency of extremes in rainfall and weather event I know a lot about this issue	Increased frequency of extremes in rainfall and weather event I am aware of or know a little about this issue	Increased frequency of extremes in rainfall and weather event I am not aware of this issue
Establishment and maintenance of vegetated buffers around wetlands and waterbodies	Establishment and maintenance of vegetated buffers around wetlands and waterbodies I know a lot about this issue	Establishment and maintenance of vegetated buffers around wetlands and waterbodies I am aware of or know a little about this issue	Establishment and maintenance of vegetated buffers around wetlands and waterbodies I am not aware of this issue
Stormwater management requirements for construction projects	Stormwater management requirements for construction projects I know a lot about this issue	Stormwater management requirements for construction projects I am aware of or know a little about this issue	Stormwater management requirements for construction projects I am not aware of this issue
Stormwater reuse (capturing runoff and using it for irrigation or other uses) and water conservation	Stormwater reuse (capturing runoff and using it for irrigation or other uses) and water conservation I know a lot about this issue	Stormwater reuse (capturing runoff and using it for irrigation or other uses) and water conservation I am aware of or know a little about this issue	Stormwater reuse (capturing runoff and using it for irrigation or other uses) and water conservation I am not aware of this issue

Question Title

* 9. The Valley Branch Watershed Districts offers grants for residents who wish to install stormwater management practices to improve the quality of our lakes, streams, and wetlands as well as grants for native plantings. Please enter your email address if you would like to be contacted regarding these grant opportunities.

	little or no concern	somewhat concerned	very concerned	no opinion
Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering surface waters	Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering surface waters little or no concern	Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering surface waters somewhat concerned	Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering surface waters very concerned	Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering surface waters no opinion
Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering groundwater	Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering groundwater little or no concern	Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering groundwater somewhat concerned	Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering groundwater very concerned	Pollutants in stormwater runoff (e.g., road-salt, chemicals, septic system waste) entering groundwater no opinion
Sediment accumulation in water bodies	Sediment accumulation in water bodies little or no concern	Sediment accumulation in water bodies somewhat concerned	Sediment accumulation in water bodies very concerned	Sediment accumulation in water bodies no opinion
Amount and/or diversity of aquatic plants	Amount and/or diversity of aquatic plants little or no concern	Amount and/or diversity of aquatic plants somewhat concerned	Amount and/or diversity of aquatic plants very concerned	Amount and/or diversity of aquatic plants no opinion
Aquatic invasive plant species (for example curly-leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil)	Aquatic invasive plant species (for example curly-leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil) little or no concern	Aquatic invasive plant species (for example curly-leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil) somewhat concerned	Aquatic invasive plant species (for example curly-leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil) very concerned	Aquatic invasive plant species (for example curly-leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil) no opinion
Aquatic invasive animal species (for example carp, zebra mussels)	Aquatic invasive animal species (for example carp, zebra mussels) little or no concern	Aquatic invasive animal species (for example carp, zebra mussels) somewhat concerned	Aquatic invasive animal species (for example carp, zebra mussels) very concerned	Aquatic invasive animal species (for example carp, zebra mussels) no opinion
Quality of in-lake/in-stream habitat	Quality of in-lake/in-stream habitat little or no concern	Quality of in-lake/in-stream habitat somewhat concerned	Quality of in-lake/in-stream habitat very concerned	Quality of in-lake/in-stream habitat no opinion
Loss/preservation of upland habitat and/or connected green space	Loss/preservation of upland habitat and/or connected green space little or no concern	Loss/preservation of upland habitat and/or connected green space somewhat concerned	Loss/preservation of upland habitat and/or connected green space very concerned	Loss/preservation of upland habitat and/or connected green space no opinion
Erosion along stream banks or lake shorelines	Erosion along stream banks or lake shorelines little or no concern	Erosion along stream banks or lake shorelines somewhat concerned	Erosion along stream banks or lake shorelines very concerned	Erosion along stream banks or lake shorelines no opinion
Amount of trash in or around water bodies	Amount of trash in or around water bodies little or no concern	Amount of trash in or around water bodies somewhat concerned	Amount of trash in or around water bodies very concerned	Amount of trash in or around water bodies no opinion
Access or use of water bodies for recreation	Access or use of water bodies for recreation little or no concern	Access or use of water bodies for recreation somewhat concerned	Access or use of water bodies for recreation very concerned	Access or use of water bodies for recreation no opinion
Impacts of increased frequency of extreme rainfall and weather events on natural resources	Impacts of increased frequency of extreme rainfall and weather events on natural resources little or no concern	Impacts of increased frequency of extreme rainfall and weather events on natural resources somewhat concerned	Impacts of increased frequency of extreme rainfall and weather events on natural resources very concerned	Impacts of increased frequency of extreme rainfall and weather events on natural resources no opinion
Flooding and high water levels	Flooding and high water levels little or no concern	Flooding and high water levels somewhat concerned	Flooding and high water levels very concerned	Flooding and high water levels no opinion
Low water levels or water level fluctuations	Low water levels or water level fluctuations little or no concern	Low water levels or water level fluctuations somewhat concerned	Low water levels or water level fluctuations very concerned	Low water levels or water level fluctuations no opinion
Sustainability of groundwater supplies	Sustainability of groundwater supplies little or no concern	Sustainability of groundwater supplies somewhat concerned	Sustainability of groundwater supplies very concerned	Sustainability of groundwater supplies no opinion
Operation, maintenance, and renewal of stormwater infrastructure	Operation, maintenance, and renewal of stormwater infrastructure little or no concern	Operation, maintenance, and renewal of stormwater infrastructure somewhat concerned	Operation, maintenance, and renewal of stormwater infrastructure very concerned	Operation, maintenance, and renewal of stormwater infrastructure no opinion
Adequacy of regulations to protect water resources	Adequacy of regulations to protect water resources little or no concern	Adequacy of regulations to protect water resources somewhat concerned	Adequacy of regulations to protect water resources very concerned	Adequacy of regulations to protect water resources no opinion
Cost of water resource management efforts	Cost of water resource management efforts little or no concern	Cost of water resource management efforts somewhat concerned	Cost of water resource management efforts very concerned	Cost of water resource management efforts no opinion
Other (if other, specify below)	Other (if other, specify below) little or no concern	Other (if other, specify below) somewhat concerned	Other (if other, specify below) very concerned	Other (if other, specify below) no opinion