Purchasing & Developing Land:
Wetlands & Floodplain
The US Fish and Wildlife Service conducted an inventory of the locations and types of wetlands. The inventory has been completed for all of Anoka County and was published in 1991. Most of the wetlands were identified by aerial photo interpretation with limited field verification.
These maps are entitled the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) and should only be used for general land use planning. Photo interpretation is not 100% accurate and some wetlands in farmed areas were not inventoried. Also, the process does not meet the requirements of the 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual as required by the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) 1995 Amendments. However, the inventory is reasonably accurate when the NWI maps correlate well with the Soil Survey.
For a fee, the ACD will conduct an on-site wetland consultation. A qualified technician will perform an on-site evaluation of potential wetland issues. A letter explaining the requirements of the WCA, as it relates to your project, is included with this inspection. Private consultants also provide similar services for a fee.
Flood Plain
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, through its National Flood Insurance Program has developed maps which identify zones of 100 year and 500 year flooding. It is important to know if portions of the property are within the flood plain because flood plain areas are more strictly regulated. The ACD has copies of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps for all of Anoka County.
