2023 - Twelve Mile Creek Conservation Practice Implementation

Wright Soil and Water Conservation District is requesting funding to implement targeted practices identified within the Twelve Mile Creek Subwatershed, a contributing area to the North Fork Crow River within the Upper Mississippi River Basin. This subwatershed has been identified as a priority in the North Fork Crow River Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (CWMP) and selected for a MPCA Section 319 Small Watershed Focus grant. Identified restoration goals include meeting the sediment and phosphorus water quality standards, primarily for reaches of Twelve Mile Creek, as well as the interconnected Ann, Dog, Dutch, Emma, Howard, and Little Waverly lakes.

In 2021, the District completed a subwatershed assessment to identify the most effective locations for water quality improvement projects within the HUC 12 (070102040605) area. The goal for proposed practices is to improve the quality of water entering the North Fork Crow River from Twelve Mile Creek by reducing sediment and total phosphorous, which in turn will help elevate dissolved oxygen levels through construction of targeted best management practices (BMPs). The District selected and ranked 24 potential project areas for additional field evaluation, design and construction. Priority practices include water and sediment control basins (WASCOBs), grassed waterways and filtration practices. Additional practices include, but are not limited to, cover crops, conservation tillage, nutrient management, shoreland restorations, sediment basins and critical area plantings.

This funding request seeks to implement approximately 13 targeted projects consisting of multiple BMPs. Proposed practices are estimated to reduce 2,898.4 tons of sediment and 584.1 lbs. of phosphorus based on PTMApp/ACPF estimates.