City hears state presentation on wetland impacts for Minnesota Valley State Trail phase 2; council to decide Aug. 3

City and state presenters detailed an application under the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) for the Minnesota Valley State Trail, Bloomington phase 2, and described unavoidable wetland impacts and the proposed mitigation.

Jack Distell (city staff) reviewed the city’s role as the local government unit administering WCA compliance and said replacement plans are rare for Bloomington because the city is largely built out. Alex Yellek (senior environmental scientist, Anderson Engineering, speaking for DNR Parks & Trails) explained that sequencing — avoid, minimize, replace — guided the project’s design and that the project team identified 0.2 acres of permanent fill to floodplain forest and a 128-square-foot temporary construction impact. The presenters said the team proposes to purchase wetland mitigation credits and mitigate at a 2:1 ratio (0.2 acres replaced by 0.4 acres of restored wetland) within the same subcatchment and county to meet siting criteria.

Council members asked about alternatives (boardwalks and alternate bridge placement), species protections (state-protected mussels and a sensitive floodplain forest community), habitat restoration, control of invasive species, seed mixes for restoration, and whether mitigation banks include the specific species of concern (for example, cricket frogs). Staff said boardwalks were impractical at the project elevations and floodplain conditions and that DNR take permits for sensitive species are outstanding; council was told the project will not return for a decision until required take permits are in hand and an addendum answering TEP (technical evaluation panel) questions is submitted. The council was told the item is scheduled to return on Aug. 3 but may be delayed if outstanding items persist.