Pope Soil and Water Conservation District Surface Water Assessment Grant (SWAG)

The Pope Soil and Water Conservation District Chippewa River Watershed Surface Water Assessment Grant (SWAG) monitoring program will provide knowledge of water quality to local partners and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Five sites, comprised of two lakes and three along two streams, will be monitored over the course of two years. There are 5 townships throughout the Chippewa watershed that each house a monitoring site: Nora, New Prairie , White Bear Lake, Barsness, and Gilchrist. Water samples will be analyzed for water quality parameters such as total suspended solids, nutrients, and bacteria. The goal of this opportunity is to have an increase in local knowledge of certain waters of concern. The increased monitoring data will be added to larger water quality sets and assist in implementation of best management practices throughout the Chippewa watershed.