2020 - Dakota County Drinking Water Protection Project
The Dakota County Drinking Water Protection Project's goal is to reduce pollutants (primarily nitrates) that are becoming increasingly common in groundwater sourced drinking water throughout Dakota County. This will be accomplished by implementing groundwater protection practices in areas that are vulnerable to contamination. This project includes both private wells and public water supplies and will focus on townships that have testing data indicating elevated nitrates in drinking water. Cover crops will be the primary practice along with restoring perennial vegetation in critical locations. An estimated 700 acres of cover crops will be established through this project and an estimated 15,720 lbs. of nitrogen will be prevented from reaching groundwater that is used for drinking water.
Annie Felix-Gerth
(b) $16,000,000 the first year and $16,000,000 the second year are for grants to local government units to protect and restore surface water and drinking water; to keep water on the land; to protect, enhance, and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams; and to protect groundwater and drinking water, including feedlot water quality and subsurface sewage treatment system projects and stream bank, stream channel, shoreline restoration, and ravine stabilization projects. The projects must use practices demonstrated to be effective, be of long-lasting public benefit, include a match, and be consistent with total maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation plans, watershed restoration and protection strategies (WRAPS), or local water management plans or their equivalents. A portion of this money may be used to seek administrative efficiencies through shared resources by multiple local governmental units. Up to 20 percent of this appropriation is available for land-treatment projects and practices that benefit drinking water.
This project proposes to install 700 acres of cover crops for a period of 3 years. Based on estimated values from the Watershed Nitrogen Reduction Planning tool, this will prevent 15,720 lbs. of nitrogen from contaminating drinking water supplies.
Grant funds were used for this project that exceeded the proposed measurable outcomes, with nearly 900 acres of cover crops installed and a total reduction of 16,480 pounds of nitrogen and 4,153 tons of soil loss reduction achieved over the three-year lifespan of the land management practices.
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS