RCD 4 Project
Overview 

The City of Roseville and Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD) have been looking into improving Ramsey County Ditch 4 (RCD 4). RCWD is the current owner of the drainage system which will be transferred to the City upon the completion of the project. RCD 4 is currently comprised of an open channel between County Road C and Terrace Drive. In some locations the open channel bottom is nearly twenty feet lower than the surrounding area, with steep side slopes. Open channel side slopes this steep that are not armored are highly susceptible to erosion and bank failures as evidence by bank sloughing and blow-outs along this portion of RCD 4 in recent years. In severe cases, bank failures can create ongoing maintenance needs, damage structures, infrastructure or property, as well as create safety hazards. The potential for these failures, along with the right-of-way necessary for the Drainage Authority to maintain the open channel, diminishes the developable area of the adjacent parcels based on the required maintenance corridor for excavation of the open ditch and spoil placement. 

The proposed project is to convert the open channel into a 84” diameter pipe.  By converting the channel to a pipe, the city can better utilize the corridor to connect County Road C to Terrace Drive.  There are also numerous environmental benefits to the conversion:

• Reduce erosion of the channel and lessen sediment movement to Oasis Pond
• Improve and protect the water quality of Oasis Pond
• Reduce local flooding issues 

Further info on the background of the ditch, project development and assessments related to the ditch project can be found on RCWD website. 

Related Projects  

Twin Lakes Trail project  A new trail will be constructed over the new pipe to create a non-motorized corridor for residents and adjacent businesses.  

Schedule

Schedule will be determined once the project is bid and awarded in early 2021. 

Work is anticipated to begin in early spring and be completed by August 2021. 

Public Hearing

RICE CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT 

Public Hearing Regarding Petition for Partial Transfer of Management
Authority for Ramsey County Ditch 4 to City of Roseville

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. the Rice Creek Watershed District (District), Drainage Authority for Ramsey County Ditch (RCD) 4, will hold a public hearing under MN Statutes Section 103E.812 regarding a petition for partial transfer of management authority for RCD 4 to the City of Roseville. Segments of RCD 4 petitioned to be transferred include the Main Trunk south of Terrace Drive and the entirety of Lateral 1. The District would retain management authority for the Main Trunk of RCD 4 north of Terrace Drive to the outfall at Lake Johanna. Any objections to the petitioned partial transfer must be made pursuant to MN Statutes Section 103E.812, subdivision 5. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes §13D.021, meetings of the Board of Managers currently are being convened remotely by teleconference and/or video-teleconference. Members of the public interested in attending the hearing and/or presenting comments are asked to contact Kyle Axtell at 763-398-3072 or by email (preferred) at kaxtell@ricecreek.org, by 4:30 p.m. February 9, 2021. To participate in the meeting by telephone, please call 1-321-430-3061, conference ID 308 560 325#. The petition and engineer’s report can be viewed on the District’s website: www.ricecreek.org/RCD4, or at the District office: 4325 Pheasant Ridge Drive NE, Suite 611, Blaine, MN 55449.