2019 - SWCD Local Capacity Services (Yellow Medicine SWCD)
The SWCD Local Capacity Services grant program provides funds to Soil and Water Conservation Districts that focuses on increasing capacity to address four resource concern areas - Soil Erosion, Riparian Zone Management, Water Storage and Treatment, and Excess Nutrients.
Marcey Westrick
[SWCD Local Capacity Services 2019] $11,000,000 the first year and $11,000,000 the second year are for payments to soil and water conservation districts for the purposes of Minnesota Statutes, sections 103C.321 and 103C.331. From this appropriation, each soil and water conservation district shall receive an increase in its base funding of $100,000 per year. Money remaining after the base increase is available for matching grants to soil and water conservation districts based on county allocations to soil and water conservation districts. The board and other agencies may reduce the amount of grants to a county by an amount equal to any reduction in the county's allocation to a soil and water conservation district from the county's previous year allocation when the board determines that the reduction was disproportionate.
The grant targets four resource concern areas - Soil Erosion, Riparian Zone Management, Water Storage and Treatment, and Excess Nutrients - and supports increased capacity by funding expenses in the following categories: Staffing, Cost Share/Incentives, Technology/Capital Equipment, and Operations.
Funds were used to hire a full time technician to provide technical advice and conservation planning for customers with soil erosion priorities. Additionally, the SWCD has partnered with Yellow Medicine County to provide various information technology services to staff the Yellow Medicine County Land & Resource Management Office (LRMO). These duties include data editing and development, training of LRMO staff on the uses of GIS platforms and existing data. The LMRO has determined the need to inventory its septic, land use and drinking water well data. This inventoried information will be used to track permitting, construction and many other pertinent details in a more time and space efficient manner. In 2019, SWCD staff is also assisting the LRMO with an analysis of the needs of its office in an ongoing review of Yellow Medicine County?s GIS resources.
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS