Nicollet County/SWCD Watershed Implementation Targeting

Nicollet County is located in south central Minnesota and is bordered on two sides by the Minnesota River. A line of forested bluffs separate the river valley from land that is relatively flat and historically used for agricultural purposes. Approximately 245,000 acres of the County are actively farmed. The 2012 impaired waters list for water bodies located in Nicollet County include the Minnesota River, Seven Mile Creek, Rogers Creek and tributaries to the Rush River. This project will develop integrated management tools to accelerate on-the-ground best management projects that can be used to help address these impairments. Specifically, GIS data for the County will be compiled, analyzed, and processed for use in Prioritize, Target, and Measure Application (PTMApp) desktop tools, which will identify sites with high value for best management practice implementation. Local Government Unit (LGU) staff will contact landowners identified from the desktop tools via letters, phone, and in person for site visits to evaluate potential projects that would help address the nutrient and/or sediment impairments consistent with the local Water Management Plan for the County. This project is a partnership between Nicollet County and Nicollet SWCD, with Nicollet County acting as the project administrator. Staff from both offices will provide in kind staff time match throughout the project.