Minnesota Statutes 114D.35 – Public and Stakeholder Participation; Scientific Review; Education
Subdivision 1.Public and stakeholder participation.
(a) Public agencies and private entities involved in implementing this chapter must encourage participation by the public and stakeholders, including local citizens, landowners, land managers, and public and private organizations.
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 114D.35
- Comprehensive local water management plan: has the meaning given under section 103B. See Minnesota Statutes 114D.15
- Comprehensive watershed management plan: has the meaning given under section 103B. See Minnesota Statutes 114D.15
- council: means the Clean Water Council created pursuant to section 114D. See Minnesota Statutes 114D.15
- Public agencies: means all state agencies, political subdivisions, joint powers organizations, and special purpose units of government with authority, responsibility, or expertise in protecting, restoring, or preserving the quality of surface waters, managing or planning for surface waters and related lands, or financing waters-related projects. See Minnesota Statutes 114D.15
- Restoration: means actions taken to pursue, achieve, and maintain water quality standards for impaired waters. See Minnesota Statutes 114D.15
- state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
- TMDL: means a scientific study that contains a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that may be introduced into a surface water and still ensure that applicable water quality standards for that water are restored and maintained. See Minnesota Statutes 114D.15
- WRAPS: means a document summarizing scientific studies of a major watershed at approximately a hydrologic unit code 8 scale with strategies designed to achieve and maintain water quality standards and goals. See Minnesota Statutes 114D.15
(b) In particular, the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency must make reasonable efforts to provide timely information to the public and to stakeholders about impaired waters that have been identified by the agency and to inform and consult with the public and stakeholders in developing a WRAPS or TMDL.
(c) Public agencies and private entities using public funds that are involved in implementing restoration and protection identified in a comprehensive watershed management plan or comprehensive local water management plan must make efforts to inform, consult, and involve the public and stakeholders.
(d) The commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency and the Board of Water and Soil Resources must coordinate public and stakeholder participation in consultation with local government units. To the extent practicable, implementation of this chapter must be accomplished in cooperation with local, state, federal, and tribal governments and private-sector organizations.
Subd. 2.Expert scientific advice.
The Clean Water Council and public agencies and private entities shall make use of available public and private expertise from educational, research, and technical organizations, including the University of Minnesota and other higher education institutions, to provide appropriate independent expert advice on models, methods, and approaches used in identifying degraded groundwater and impaired waters, developing TMDLs, and implementing prevention and restoration.
Subd. 3.Education.
The Clean Water Council must develop strategies for informing, educating, and encouraging the participation of citizens, stakeholders, and others regarding this chapter. Public agencies are responsible for implementing the strategies.