A direct appropriation of $400,000 in FY 2010 and $600,000 in FY2011 for the Anoka Conservation District (ACD) is for the metropolitan landscape restoration program for water quality and improvement projects in the seven-county metro area.
South Central Technical Service Area (SCTSA) will use this Clean Water Fund grant to provide Soil and Water Conservation Districts and other local organizations in its eleven-county area with a Geographic Information System (GIS) Technician to assist in using available GIS information to target specific locations where Best Management Practices (BMPs) can be installed to help improve water quality.
Prevention of groundwater contamination from unused, unsealed wells is identified as a priority in the 2020-2030 Dakota County Groundwater Plan. Dakota County plans to prevent groundwater contamination, especially in drinking water supply management areas, by completing a well inventory in the Black Dog Watershed area to identify suspected abandoned wells, and provide 50% cost-share grants to seal approximately 13 unused, unsealed wells in the watershed.
Seminary Fen, a 600-acre complex in Carver County, supports one of only 500 calcareous fens in the world and is one of the highest quality calcareous fens in southern Minnesota. The Fen feeds Assumption Creek; one of the metro area's last known trout streams that supports naturally reproducing native brook trout. Assumption Creek then discharges to the nearby Minnesota River. The Fen's unique hydrology, soils, plants, and habitats are highly sensitive to water quality and sedimentation stress.
This project would educate residents and provide assistance to the City of Le Center in sealing an unused/abandoned municipal well. One municipal well has been identified as a high risk due to impacting the groundwater and drinking water supply to the City of Le Center.
The nine member Counties and Soil and Water Conservation Districts of the Greater Blue Earth River Basin Alliance (GBERBA) will be able to enhance our effectiveness to provide elevated levels of technical assistance, education and outreach in the areas of urban stormwater, wellhead protection, nutrient management, conservation agronomy, drainage and agricultural best management practices to reduce nonpoint source pollution in the Blue Earth, Le Sueur and Watonwan River Watersheds.
Nearly 700 miles of open water flow through Faribault County's borders. Over one-third of these miles are artificial drainage systems. Artificial drainage systems are necessary to remove excess precipitation and improve the productivity of agricultural land, however they also have a direct effect on the water quality and quantity of receiving waterbodies. With limited resources available to manage these systems, innovative and efficient management tools will play a critical role in targeting improvements for water quality.
This project will continue and build on the momentum developed through the successful Stormwater Retrofit Partnership (Partnership) from FY2010 and 2012 CWF. This project retrofits stormwater practices on public land to assist partnering Local Government Units (LGUs) in achieving water quality goals identified in local stormwater plans by providing technical assistance and cost share funding.
This project will provide cost share funding to organizations and associations to construct medium-sized water quality conservation projects in Dakota County. This project will continue the successful FY2012 Dakota County Community Partners in Conservation. The Community Initiative program will use the Soil and Water Conservation District's existing Conservation Initiative Funding program to provide technical assistance and monetary incentives for targeted, medium-sized projects such as raingardens, bioinfiltration, and bioswales.
This project will provide cost share funding to community organizations and associations to construct medium-sized water quality conservation practices in Dakota County.
The East Branch Blue Earth River is currently negatively impacted and has been shown to contribute disproportionately high sediment loads to the Minnesota River. With limited funds available for implementing conservation practices, targeting tools to pinpoint locations where conservation practices have the highest effectiveness are increasingly important. Innovative use of technology can help streamline these targeting procedures.
At the public drainage system scale, Faribault County will develop comprehensive Multipurpose Drainage Management Plans that focus on traditional and innovative conservation practices to reduce on-field and in-channel peak flow and erosion with enhanced water quality and wildlife habitat benefits. Planning will occur in conjunction with an established Redetermination of Benefits (ROB) schedule or as initiated through the petition process.
The karst topography of southeast Minnesota increases the possibility of drinking water supplies becoming contaminated with high concentrations of nitrates. To address this risk in the region, there needs to be an increase in the use of nitrogen best management practices and agronomic rates of nitrogen need to be fine-tuned to balance production with environmental degradation. In addition, potential point sources of nutrient contamination in groundwater need to be addressed wherever possible. This project will have three components that will address these needs.
Martin County has 149 lakes and several are impacted by elevated phosphorus levels. Restoring the water quality of these lakes is a priority for county. In partnership with Minnesota Waters, Barr Engineering and the University of Minnesota Extension, this project specifically aims to educate residents about the threats to Martin County water resources. The goal is to engage residents in protecting and improving the quality and management of the lakes by establishing a minimum of four lake associations within the county.
Long Lake is impaired for nutrients and is a high priority in the City's Surface Water Management Plan and the Vermillion River Watershed Management Plan. As part of a pond feasibility study funded by 2021 WBIF dollars, the City identified pond EVR-P11 as a high quality project to help reduce nutrients in the watershed. The city is requesting $115,331 for a project that will include the excavation of existing pond, reconstruction of the pond outlet, and the installation of infiltration bench. The project will provide approximately 2.21 lbs of Total Phosphorous removal.
This project will improve water quality in the nutrient impaired Fairmont Chain of Lakes. These 5 lakes are a surface water drinking water source for a City of over 10,000 people. Phase one of this multi-phase water quality restoration project focuses on installing 12 targeted agricultural best management practices such as bioreactors, saturated buffers and grassed waterways and will reduce nitrogen by over 1,000 pounds per year, sediment by over 130 tons per year, and phosphorus by over 200 pounds per year.
Faribault County Soil and Water Conservation District will develop a mini-grant program to partner with area non-profits, community groups and lake associations to implement stormwater management practices that will intercept, treat, filtrate and/or infiltrate runoff that will reduce phosphorus and sediment loads into high priority and TMDL impaired waters in Faribault County. This program would provide cost-share and technical assistance to enable these organizations to go beyond planning and take action to protect our water resources.
The Faribault County Soil and Water Conservation District Drainage Engineer will inventory public drainage ditches to identify priority systems and areas where erosion, sediment, and nutrients contribute to water quality degradation. Sites identified for potential side inlet control, buffer strip need, or water storage will be prioritized for landowner contact and follow through by seeking external funding opportunities.
Working with a consultant, a current online database to manage public drainage systems will be enhanced and a corresponding mobile inspection app will be developed to facilitate drainage compliance and improve inspection planning. With these improvements, a long-term, comprehensive, GIS-compatible database will be in place to help plan, collect, document, summarize, and analyze system condition, repair needs, and violations with the overall goal of protecting and improving water quality.
Le Sueur County has completed water quality assessments of its lakes, which are on the impaired waters list for excess nutrients. The Francis Rays Sakatah Tetonka Lakes Septic Inventory project will complete up to 400 shoreland septic compliance inspections, create an ArcMap GIS layer, create community assessment reports on priority areas and provide education and outreach to the public through informational meetings and website development. The project will also jump-start upgrading non-compliant septic systems.
The VRWJPO and partners will be completing two activities under this grant. These activities include 1) a stream restoration project at Middle Creek in the City of Lakeville, and 2) an alum treatment feasibility study for Alimagnet Lake in the Cities of Apple Valley and Burnsville. The outcome for the Middle Creek restoration project is an estimated removal of 10.75 tons/year of TSS and 64.5 lbs/year of TP. The outcome for the alum treatment feasibility study is one completed lake alum treatment feasibility study.
Funding is prioritized to structural and non-structural practices within the Upper Mustinka and Fivemile Creek planning regions. In addition, a primary goal will be to complete a feasibility study for the Fivemile Creek Restoration as well as completion of the final phase of the Lake Traverse Water Quality Improvement Project. The BdSWD will focus on 4 CIPs within the Bois de Sioux River planning regions; WCD Sub-1, WCD 35 and WCD 20 & 25 drainage retrofit projects.
The VRWJPO, and its partner, the City of Lakeville, propose the installation of a fish barrier to prevent migration of rough fish between East Lake in Lakeville, MN and the North Creek tributary of the Vermillion River (North Creek). The partners also propose rough fish removals from East Lake. East Lake is a nutrient-impaired water body. Rough fish, specifically common carp and goldfish are both invasive species that have been found to be exacerbating internal nutrient load issues within East Lake.
The Greater Blue Earth River Basin Alliance (GBERBA) is a joint powers organization consisting of ten member Counties and SWCDs encompassing the Blue Earth, Le Sueur and Watonwan Watersheds. Our mission is to lead in the implementation and promotion of economically viable watershed activities through the combined efforts of local partners. We have identified two target areas in the GBERB (Greater Blue Earth River Basin) where high levels of nitrates directly affect public water supply.
The German-Jefferson Subordinate Service District Board (board) completed a voluntary septic inventory through the Clean Water Fund in 2013. 344 out of 754 parcels participated in the inventory. Approximately 50% of the septic systems were found to be non-compliant with MN Rules Chapter 7080. That project included an assessment of septic systems on non-participating properties that identified eleven priority areas in populated communities with small lots. Three community feasibility studies out of the eleven priority areas were conducted.
Gorman Lake has elevated nutrient levels and drains into the Cannon River. This project will provide a subgrant to the Gorman Lake Association to install a two-tiered retention pond to reduce both phosphorus and peak flow from a drainage ditch from reaching Gorman Lake. Project partners include three agricultural producers, the Le Sueur Soil and Water Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
