Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa - Legislative Directed Funding
The Board of Water and Soil Resources is required to contract with the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa (formerly Minnesota Conservation Corps), or CCMI, for installation of conservation practices benefitting water quality for at least $500,000 in each year of the 2010-11 biennium. The Board approved reserving the following funds in each year of the biennium to comply with this appropriation:$200,000 from the Runoff Reduction Grants $200,000 from the Clean Water Assistance Grants $100,000 from the Shoreland Improvement Grants As part of the process, BWSR staff has worked with the CCMI to ensure the following procedures are followed: Eligible local governments have an initial 30-day application period. CCMI has 30 days to review proposals and make a list of projects, consistent with the Clean Water Fund appropriation (Laws of Minnesota, Chapter 172, Section 6). CCMI sends the list of projects to the appropriate BWSR Clean Water Specialist for their review and approval before commitments are made to applicants. This will be accomplished within the 30-day CCMI review period. After initial allocations, any remaining funds are available on a first-come, firstserved basis by any eligible local government. CCMI will report financial information on the use of state funds, and the local government will report outcome and match information in eLINK.
Nicole Clapp
Evaluation and Outcome Plan Evaluation and outcome plans are required as a part of the grant agreement between BWSR and the grantee. These required plans consist of verifying project installation and creating operation and maintenance plans to ensure the project is functioning as designed. Funded projects meet locally identified water quality goals within the larger scope of Minnesota's clean water efforts. Projects reduce pollutant loads aimed at improving watershed health over time. The long-term evaluation of clean water fund projects will be monitored as part of the state's intensive watershed monitoring strategy.
This project resulted in estimated reductions of 777 lb, phosphorus/yr and 178 tons of sediment/year