A meeting on wetland laws is expected to gather local government officials together with state and federal representatives Thursday.

The meeting, scheduled for 11 a.m. in the Koochiching County Courthouse boardroom, will include members of the International Falls City Council and two Koochiching County commissioners. John Jaschke, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, and Robert Whiting, environmental chief with the U.S. Army Corps’ St. Paul office, are also planning to attend.

The work group session is open to the public, however it is not a public hearing, Environmental Services Director Richard Lehtinen said. The meeting is meant to build a foundation of communication between the local government and the agencies that enforce wetland laws, Lehtinen said.

The meeting is a continuation of discussions on wetland law enforcement that began in May with the issuing of six cease-and-desist orders to business owners and homeowners in International Falls.

The six locations of wetland law violations were given during a technical advisory committee that consists of representatives of local, state and federal agencies. TAC was created to assist area residents navigate through state and federal wetland laws in regards to development.

The locations were given to BWSR during an April TAC meeting, which then provided to Conservation Officer Darrin Kittelson, who enforces wetland laws locally.