Vermillion River - City of Farmington, 4th and Willow TSS Reduction
The Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization (VRWJPO), in partnership with the City of Farmington and Dakota County, are working to systematically address Total Suspended Solids (TSS) sources contributing to the Vermillion River through use of a prioritized, targeted, and measurable sub watershed assessment approach to identify and implement the most cost-effective and feasible projects to address the Vermillion River's TSS, fish, and macroinvertebrate TMDLs.
The partners will install a TSS reduction project that will intercept a major storm sewer line discharging directly to the Vermillion River using a manhole diversion structure, and a hydrodynamic separator (HDS). The HDS would be installed on City property and will remove TSS before runoff is discharged into the river. The HDS will capture TSS from the 161-acre drainage area that consists primarily of developed land in an older portion of the City of Farmington that has little to no stormwater treatment since the drainage area was developed prior to stormwater treatment requirements and new opportunities for stormwater treatment are very limited.
This reach of the Vermillion River is a DNR-designated trout stream (Class 2A water) and is currently listed as impaired for TSS, fish bioassessment, and macroinvertebrate bioassessment. During the stressor identification portion of the Vermillion River Watershed TMDL, the primary stressor to the biotic communities was identified as TSS. Therefore, this project would directly address this stressor to aquatic biota by eliminating an estimated 19.5 tons/year of TSS that would otherwise flow into the river.
Annie Felix-Gerth
(a) $39,500,000 the first year and $39,500,000 the second year are for grants to implement state-approved watershed-based plans. The grants may be used to implement projects or programs that protect, enhance, and restore surface PreviouswaterNext quality in lakes, rivers, and streams; protect groundwater from degradation; and protect drinking PreviouswaterNext sources. Projects must be identified in a comprehensive watershed plan developed under the One Watershed, One Plan program and seven-county metropolitan groundwater or surface PreviouswaterNext management frameworks as provided for in Minnesota Statutes, chapters 103B, 103C, 103D, and 114D. Grant recipients must identify a nonstate match and may use other legacy funds to supplement projects funded under this paragraph. This appropriation may be used for: (1) implementing state-approved plans, including within the following watershed planning areas (see Chapter 40 Article 2 Section 6(a) (2) for the list of watershed planning areas: seven-county metropolitan groundwater or surface PreviouswaterNext management frameworks; and(3) other comprehensive watershed management plan planning areas that have a board-approved and local-government-adopted plan as authorized in Minnesota Statutes, section 103B.801. The board must establish eligibility criteria and determine whether a planning area is ready to proceed and has the nonstate match committed.
The project will reduce an estimated 19.5 tons/year of TSS.
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS