In July 2011, Hennepin County Environmental Services worked with the University of Minnesota Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy (CSTPP) to evaluate Hennepin County’s surface water governance system. The CSTPP was asked to provide recommendations for restructuring how water resources are managed in the county to simplify the current water governance structure.

Recommendations

A 15-member design team composed of stakeholders from a variety of water management and other disciplines developed three models for improving the management and protection of Hennepin County’s water sources.

On November 3, 2011, the following recommendations were presented to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners:

  1. Consolidate the 11 existing watershed districts and water management organizations into 4 divisions based on hydrological boundaries.
  2. Grant taxing authority to all water organizations in Hennepin County.
  3. Improve coordination of water management planning between watershed districts/ water management organizations and cities.
  4. Implement coordination, oversight or enforcement between watershed organizations and the state.

Read the report

Read the final Hennepin County Water Governance Report (PDF 2.62 MB) for more information about these recommendations.

The final report includes research, input from the design team and approximately 40 interviewees, a literature review and an academic advisory group.

For more information

If you have questions or need clarification, please email Joel Settles or call 612-348-6157.