2018 Minnesota Statutes

114D.35 PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION; SCIENTIFIC REVIEW; EDUCATION.

Subdivision 1.Public and stakeholder participation.

Public agencies and private entities involved in the implementation of this chapter shall encourage participation by the public and stakeholders, including local citizens, landowners and managers, and public and private organizations, in identifying impaired waters, in developing TMDLs, in planning, priority setting, and implementing restoration of impaired waters, in identifying degraded groundwater, and in protecting and restoring groundwater resources. In particular, the Pollution Control Agency shall make reasonable efforts to provide timely information to the public and to stakeholders about impaired waters that have been identified by the agency. The agency shall seek broad and early public and stakeholder participation in scoping the activities necessary to develop a TMDL, including the scientific models, methods, and approaches to be used in TMDL development, and to implement restoration pursuant to section 114D.15, subdivision 7.

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 shall develop strategies for informing, educating, and encouraging the participation of citizens, stakeholders, and others regarding the identification of impaired waters, development of TMDLs, development of TMDL implementation plans, implementation of restoration for impaired waters, identification of degraded groundwater, and protection and restoration of groundwater resources. Public agencies shall be responsible for implementing the strategies.

History:

2006 c 251 s 8; 1Sp2011 c 6 art 2 s 20