Bevens and Carver Creeks Exclusion and Streambank Restoration Grant
Recent efforts by Carver County Water Management Organization Staff have centered on removing point sources of bacteria in both Bevens and Carver Creeks. These efforts have shown improvement in water quality; however the creeks are still above the state standard for E. coli. Early results from field surveys have pinpointed areas where livestock have uncontrolled access to streams. Five sites over a twenty mile stretch of Bevens Creek have shown evidence of livestock access to streams and associated damage to streambanks. With a total of roughly 75 miles of stream length between Bevens, Silver and Carver Creeks, it is reasonable to expect that at least fifteen sites will have evidence of livestock access.
This project will construct exclusion fencing for livestock to remove uncontrolled access to the streams. Included in constructing exclusion fencing will be the restoration of stream banks that have been damaged due to excessive grazing and trampling. The reduction in erosion from these targeted areas will also help reduce turbidity, which is a goal set forth in the Bevens and Carver Creek Turbidity Total Maximum Daily Load study that was approved last year.
Nicole Clapp
Projects and Practices 2014
The turbidity impairment is based on excess suspended sediment in the river. Excess suspended sediment, when carried to streams can cause excess turbidity that harms aquatic life, increases water-treatment costs, and makes water less useful for recreation. The project will achieve an estimated sediment reduction of 690 tons/year and 590 lbs of phosphorus/year.
This project has resulted in an estimated reduction of 300 CFU of e. Coli, 2 lbs of phosphorus, and 1 ton of sediment.
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS