Nick Newman, senior environmental specialist with Stearns County Environmental Services, presented a training for the Board of Adjustment explaining how the county determines bluff areas, why bluffs matter for shoreline protection, and how the county’s standard differs from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) methodology.

Newman told the board there are three primary criteria the county uses to map bluffs in shoreland areas: proximity to water (within 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a river), a slope that rises at least 25 feet above the water, and a horizontal 50‑foot transect in which at least a portion of the slope exceeds 30 percent. He explained the top of the bluff is identified by moving up the slope until a 50‑foot transect of 18 percent or less is reached; the county measures the setback from that top of bluff line.

“The DNR has a bluff standard statewide. Ours is slightly more restrictive in some circumstances than the DNR,” Newman said, noting that the county simplified the local standard to reduce staff time spent calculating multiple transect lengths and slope comparisons required by the state method. Newman used contour survey examples and an illustrative 50‑foot transect to show how a 30 percent slope (roughly 15 feet of elevation change across 50 feet horizontally) meets the county definition.

He described the reasons the county restricts development in bluff areas: higher erosion risk, runoff and stormwater impacts, loss of vegetation that stabilizes soils, and long‑term slope instability that can affect water quality and nearby structures. Newman noted that construction site permits can authorize activity within 20 feet outside the perimeter of an approved structure (retaining walls, dirt work, patios), which can bring development closer to mapped bluffs than the structure footprint alone would suggest.

Board members asked several clarifying questions about survey standards, differences from the DNR approach and how enforcement works. Newman said counties may be more restrictive than the DNR standard and that the county uses surveys with one‑foot contours to quantify slope where the bluff status is uncertain. He also warned that small water‑oriented accessory structures (150 sq ft or smaller) do not currently require a county permit, which can limit the county’s ability to detect replacements unless someone applies for a permit or a neighbor files a complaint.

Newman concluded by identifying areas in Stearns County where bluff determinations commonly arise — Richmond, Big Birch and Little Birch lakes, among others — and reminded the board that the planning staff includes recommended mitigation measures for bluff variance requests in the board packet. The presentation was followed by routine agenda business and scheduling notes.