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Proposed Plan Amendment

The Richfield-Bloomington Watershed Management Organization is soliciting comments on a proposed minor plan amendment to incorporate a Grant Program into the Implementation Program (Section 5) of the WMO’s Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan. The WMO Board provided direction to staff to develop a grant program for the RBWMO area. It was identified that in order to implement a grant program for the WMO a minor amendment to the plan is required.

The draft amendment can be viewed here.

As of the date of this letter, the WMO is releasing the proposed minor plan amendment for the 30-day statutory review and comment period. Comments are due on Friday, February 28, 2025. The proposed minor plan amendment is attached to this email, but can also be found on the WMO’s website at RBWMO.org The WMO invites submission of written comments on the minor plan amendment. Comments may be submitted by mail or email and must be received by Friday, February 28. Comments should be submitted to:

Comments on the minor plan amendment must also be submitted to Jen Dullum, Board Conservationist, Board of Soil and Water Resources, at Jen.Dullum@state.mn.us In addition to receiving written comments, the WMO will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 6:00 PM at the Richfield Municipal Center, 6700 Portland Ave S, Richfield, MN, at which time all interested persons will have the opportunity to address the WMO Board of Managers concerning the proposed minor plan amendment. At the conclusion of the public hearing, the Board of Managers will weigh all comments received in writing and offered at the public hearing before considering the adoption of the minor plan amendment.

RBWMO's Purpose

The Richfield-Bloomington Water Management Organization's (RBWMO) purpose is to preserve and use natural water storage and retention systems within the Richfield-Bloomington Watershed to meet the purposes set forth in the Metropolitan Surface Water Management Act.

Native Landscaping Grants and Resources

As you prepare your yard, plan your gardens, and get new plants this spring, don’t forget to plant for clean water and pollinators! Native plants in yards have many benefits like supporting pollinators and native ecosystems, being resilient during flooding and drought, enhancing soil health, providing food for wildlife, and stabilizing land to reduce erosion, just to name a few! Interested in installing a rain garden or native planting on your property? Check out these opportunities and resources!

Activity Spotlight

The RBWMO is proud to partner with the West Metro Water Alliance (WMWA) to protect our water resources and provide public education. Check out the WMWA website for great resources for educators, volunteers, and residents!

Want to help protect our water resources? Consider signing up to adopt-a-drain! Storm drains lead directly to surface waters, so keeping them clean and free of pollution and debris is a simple and effective way to protect the environment. In 2022, participants in the adopt-a-drain program cleaned up over 1000 lbs of debris from 212 drains in the RBWMO!

Each winter thousands of tons of salt are applied to roadways in Minnesota to manage snow and ice, but this can have harmful effects on our water resources. It only takes 1 teaspoon of salt to pollute 5 gallons of water permanently, producing a salt concentration that can be toxic to freshwater ecosystems. The RBWMO is working to minimize the impact of road salt application on our water resources.
For additional information and resources please visit the MPCA website or contact RBWMO staff with questions or concerns.

The RBWMO conducts routine water quality monitoring of surface waters within its borders. The City of Richfield's most recent Water Quality Monitoring Reports can be found under Resources.

For information about past RBWMO activities, please visit the projects page.

Management Plan Update

The RBWMO board adopted the updated Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan at the March 5, 2018 Annual Meeting.
Click HERE to view the adopted Plan.

Annual Meeting

The 2025 annual meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2025, at 5:00 PM at the Richfield Municipal Center, 6700 Portland Ave S., Richfield, MN 55423.

The 2025 annual meeting packet will be available here the week before the meeting.

For more past meeting dates, agendas, and minutes, see the Meetings and Workshops page.

2023 Annual Report

Click here to view the RBWMO's 2023 Annual Report

The 2024 Annual Report will be available following the conclusion of the 2025 Annual Meeting scheduled for March 11th.