Watersheds
Watershed Districts
Watershed districts are local, special-purpose units of government that work to solve and prevent water-related problems. The boundaries of each district follow those of a natural watershed. A watershed is the area of land in which all water flows to 1 outlet.
While government units such as states, counties and cities have political boundaries, because water knows no boundaries and goes where it wants to, it makes sense to manage water resources on a watershed basis. This type of management allows for an overall, holistic approach to resource conservation.
Board of Managers
Minnesota's 45 watershed districts are each governed by a Board of Managers appointed by the Boards of Commissioners of the counties that have land in the district. Watershed Districts were authorized by the Legislature in 1955 when it passed the Watershed Act, MSA103D - this legislation sets out the role and responsibilities for watershed districts in Minnesota. All meetings held by a watershed district board are open to the public.
Local Watershed Districts
Most of Maplewood falls within Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District. But the northeastern part of the city, near Joy Park, is in Valley Branch Watershed District, and the western part of the city is in Capitol Region Watershed District. The districts have taxing authority, responsibilities for permitting, and they offer cost-share programs to residents for projects that help improve water quality.