Restoring Water Quality in Rice Lake
In the North Fork Crow River Watershed, land use is mainly row crop agriculture with an extensive drainage system. Many of the existing tile lines have open intakes that transport sediment and nutrients to open ditches that drain to the North Fork Crow River. The river flows into Rice Lake which has elevated phosphorus levels. Studies show a major source of phosphorus loading comes from animal manure. Field applied manure has potential to runoff to open tile intakes being a direct path to surface water.
The project will implement several agricultural conservation practices including rock inlets, controlled outlets and woodchip bioreactors, to reduce the nutrients, sediment and volume of water being transported by field tile.
Changing open tile inlets to rock inlets will help in reducing sediment and phosphorus from entering the tile lines. Controlled outlets will help to reduce runoff and the nitrogen entering the ditches. Woodchip bioreactors will decrease both nitrogen and phosphorus. Implementation of these practices and continued education of landowners will assist in the reduction of nutrients entering the river.
The 20-member BWSR board consists of representatives of local and state government agencies and citizens. Members are appointed by the governor of the state of Minnesota consistent with Minnesota Statutes 103B.101. Board members at the time the grant was made were: County Commissioner Appointees: Quentin Fairbanks; Tom Loveall; Brian Napstad; Soil and Water Conservation District Appointees: Paul Langseth, Louise Smallidge and Bob Burandt; Watershed District or Watershed Management Organization Appointees: Gene Tiedemann, LuAnn Tolliver and Todd Foster; Citizen Appointees: Paul Brutlag ; Gerald Van Amburg; John Meyer; Cities & Townships: Sandy Hooker -Township; Christy Jo Fogarty -Metro City; Keith Mykleseth -Non-Metro City; Agency: Chris Elvrum - Minnesota Department of Health; Rebecca Flood - Pollution Control Agency; Tom Landwehr - Department of Natural Resources; Matt Wohlman - Minnesota Department of Agriculture; Faye Sleeper - Minnesota Extension Service;
Bill Thompson - MPCA Project Manager and Research Scientist; Sonia Maassel Jacobsen - Hydraulic Engineer, NRCS; Bruce Henningsgaard - Principal Engineer; William P Anderson - Principal Engineer; Greg Eggers - Drainage Engineer, MN DNR; Jim Solstad - Hydrologist 3; Allan M. Kean - Chief Engineer, BWSR; Adam Birr - Impaired Waters Technical Coordinator;
Nicole Clapp
(d) $1,000,000 the first year and $1,000,000 the second year are for technical assistance and grants for the conservation drainage program in consultation with the Drainage Work Group, created under Minnesota Statutes, section 103B.101, subdivision 13, that consists of projects to retrofit existing drainage systems with water quality improvement practices, evaluate outcomes, and provide outreach to landowners, public drainage authorities, drainage engineers and contractors, and others.
Project Outputs:30 Rock Inlets - Rice Lake, North Fork Crow River 2 Controlled Outlets - Rice Lake, North Fork Crow River. Woodchip Bioreactors - Rice Lake, North Fork Crow River
32 alternative tile intakes, 1 bioreactor, and 3 drainage water management practices were reported installed.
The source of additional funds varies from project to project, but generally consists of federal, local and non-public sources.