The Bois De Sioux Watershed District (BdSWD) is partnering with the Wilkin County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Wilkin County, and landowners to reduce sediment load by 450 tons/year and phosphorus load by 90 lbs/yr to the Bois de Sioux River. This project is estimated to meet 10% of the Bois de Sioux-Mustinka short-term reduction goals for sediment and 28% of the short-term goal for phosphorus reduction in the planning region. Wilkin County Ditch #1 (WCD #1) outlets to the Bois de Sioux River, which is impaired for turbidity, dissolved oxygen, total phosphorus, and e. coli.
This proposal will fund technical assistance for nutrient management planning to accelerate water quality improvements with the 12-county West Central Technical Service Area (WCTSA). A needs assessment identified an estimated 156 certified nutrient management plans that will be needed over a 3 year period. Of the 71 SWCD employees in the WCTSA, only 1 SWCD staff member is dedicated to nutrient management planning. To meet technical assistance needs, this grant will fund a Regional Planning Specialist (RPS) to address local resource concerns.
The West Central Technical Service Area (WCTSA) serves 12 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) in west central Minnesota and has been experiencing increased workload due to greater requests from member SWCDs. This funding will sustain a limited-term technician and purchase related support equipment to assist landowners in implementing targeted, high priority practices that result in the greatest water quality outcomes.
This project will educate and assist landowners to seal unused wells by providing cost-share funds of 50% up to $1,000 per well located in highly vulnerable groundwater areas in 10 southeast Minnesota counties. Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water and due to the karst geology in SE MN groundwater is more vulnerable to contamination.
The Yellow Medicine One Watershed One Plan has identified Protecting and Preserving Groundwater Quality and Quantity as one of the three priorities addressed in the Plan. Seven priority sub-watersheds have been identified as priority areas, as well as two townships that have been identified by the Department of Agriculture to have vulnerable groundwater areas. Our goal is to provide 50% cost share to seal 34 abandoned wells that are located in these priority areas.
This program is a part of a comprehensive clean water strategy to prevent sediment and nutrients from entering our lakes, rivers, and streams; enhance fish and wildlife habitat; protect groundwater and wetlands. Specifically the Wellhead Protection Conservation Easement program is targeted to protect drinking water through the Reinvest in Minnesota Program (RIM).
This program is a part of a comprehensive clean water strategy to prevent sediment and nutrients from entering our lakes, rivers, and streams; enhance fish and wildlife habitat; protect groundwater and wetlands. Specifically the Wellhead Protection Conservation Easement program is targeted to protect drinking water through the Reinvest in Minnesota Program (RIM).
This program is a part of a comprehensive clean water strategy to prevent sediment and nutrients from entering our lakes, rivers, and streams; enhance fish and wildlife habitat; protect groundwater and wetlands. Specifically the Wellhead Protection Conservation Easement program is targeted to protect drinking water through the Reinvest in Minnesota Program (RIM).
A large amount of effort has gone in to identifying phosphorous loading and other nutrient sources in West Washington County. Installing stormwater retrofit projects at local church campuses represents a major opportunity for water quality improvement. In partnership, three watershed organizations will install conservation practices, targeting impervious surfaces on the campuses. This project will provide funding to install raingardens, pervious pavement and rainwater harvesting methods to capture and improve water quality to downstream water resources.
Whaletail Lake (MDNR 27-018400) is located within the jurisdictional boundaries of Pioneer-Sarah Creek Watershed Management Commission (PSCWMC). The lake is considered having two distinct basins relative to the Minnesota water quality nutrient standards with the South basin (MDNR 27-018402) classified as a deep lake (156 acres; max depth 23 feet; & 66% littoral) and the North basin (MDNR 27-0180401) classified as a shallow lake (370 acres; max depth 10 feet; & 100% littoral).
The Whiskey Creek project involves a coordinated and comprehensive approach to watershed management. This project consists of installing conservation practices that reduce sediment loading to Whiskey Creek while also providing flood reduction benefits to downstream landowners.
The Wilkin Soil and Water Conservation District will partner with the Buffalo Red River Watershed District, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and landowners to install 59 side inlets to stabilize high priority gullies that are contributing sediment to Whiskey Creek. When these 59 gullies are stabilized, sediment loading to Whiskey Creek will be reduced by an estimated 1,006 tons per year and total phosphorus reduced by 794 pounds per year.
The Whiskey Creek Watershed is the largest subwatershed in the Upper Red River of the North drainage, encompassing 165.63 square miles in Otter Tail and Wilkin Counties. This watershed contains the headwaters of the Red River of the North, which begins in far west central Wilkin County, an area of mixed residential and agricultural land use. The cities of Breckenridge, Minnesota and Wahpeton, North Dakota, as well as the small town of Kent are within the watershed.
Within Whitewater River Watershed, groundwater is the primary drinking water source for both private and community wells. These drinking water aquifers often lack adequate protective layers making them vulnerable to contamination. Unused wells can deteriorate and pose a serious risk to groundwater quality by providing a pathway for contaminants from the surface to easily travel into groundwater. This project will use cost-share funds to incentivize sealing twelve abandoned wells that are contamination risks to vulnerable aquifers.
This Phase 5 continuation of the Wild Rice Shoreland Protection Program will utilize permanent conservation easements to protect 500 acres, translating to approximately 3 miles of wild rice shoreland habitat. Sites are selected through an integrative ranking process that considers development risk, surrounding land use, habitat value, and numerous other criteria. BWSR will utilize the RIM Easement process in partnership with 12 local SWCDs within the Northern Forest and Forest/Prairie Transition Sections during the appropriation term.
This Phase 7 continuation of the Wild Rice Shoreland Protection Program will utilize permanent conservation easements to protect 660 acres and approximately 3.5 miles of wild rice shoreland habitat. Development trends pose a serious threat to wild rice habitat, and sites are selected through an integrative ranking process that considers development risk, surrounding land use, habitat value, and numerous other criteria. BWSR will utilize the RIM Easement process in partnership with 14 local SWCDs within the Northern Forest and Forest Prairie Transition.
This project makes an additional plant growth chamber available to increase efficiency for the MPCA Wild Rice Standards Study, which is gathering information about the effects of sulfate on the growth of wild rice.
Twenty six easements protecting 1,173.3 were recorded which exceeded the original proposal by 173 acres (15%). 11.6 miles of shoreline were protected which exceeded the 8 acre goal by 30%. Total expenditure was $1,355,000 which was 17% lower than originally budgeted. No fee-title land acquisition opportunities on wild rice lakes that fit within DNR and other government agency land plans were available during this time period thus DU did not expend any of the $100,000 budgeted for fee-title acquisition. Instead the program focused on RIM easements.
This project builds on the successful implementation of previous work, installing 29 water and sediment control basins and 25 acres of vegetative filter strips within the priority Marsh Creek watershed to reduce sediment loading into the Wild Rice River, which is currently not meeting water quality standards for sediment.
Phase 9 of the Wild Rice Shoreland Protection Program will utilize permanent conservation easements to protect 678 acres and 2 miles of wild rice shoreland habitat. Development trends pose a serious threat to wild rice habitat. Sites are selected through a ranking process that considers development risk, surrounding land use, habitat value, and other criteria. BWSR will utilize the RIM easement process in partnership with local soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) within the Northern Forest and Forest Prairie Transition to accomplish protection.
The Bird’s Eye Lake AMA acquisition has been completed. A portion of the land cost had come from this
appropriation, the 2016 Aquatic Habitat OHF appropriation, and by gifts matched with RIM Critical Habitat. This
tract consists of 52 acres, of which 5 acres are being reported on under this appropriation, as to not double count
acreage.
Phase 8 of the Wild Rice Shoreland Protection Program will utilize permanent conservation easements to protect 850 acres and 4 miles of wild rice shoreland habitat. Development trends pose a serious threat to wild rice habitat. Sites are selected through a ranking process that considers development risk, surrounding land use, habitat value, and other criteria. BWSR will utilize the RIM easement process in partnership with local soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) within the Northern Forest and Forest Prairie Transition to accomplish protection.
A total of 62 grade stabilization structures and 13.5 miles of continuous berms will be constructed and become a permanent part of County Ditches 9 and 10. An additional 100 acres of buffers will be seeded beyond those required by law. Together these practices will reduce peak flows into the county ditches, provide better erosion control, reduce sediment, improve water quality and reduce future drainage system maintenance costs. The project will reduce 595 tons of sediment per year from the CD 9 & 10 watersheds to the Rabbit River. This is 18 percent of the Rabbit River TMDL goal.
This grant will fund about 45 projects in High Groundwater Priority areas, High Surface Water Priority area, and/or in sub-watershed with stressed/impaired streams for the four WinLaC planning regions. These practices will reduce overland total nitrogen loading and loading to groundwater; reduce overland total phosphorous and sediment; and increase headwater storage and/or reduce peak flow rates and sediment loading.
The Winona County Well Sealing Costshare Program will utilize Clean Water Funds to speed water well sealing in a continuing effort to protect the groundwater aquifers used for drinking water in Southeast Minnesota. Since 1990, 1303 unused water supply wells have been sealed in Winona County with costs ranging from $500-$10,000+ per well.
Wirth Lake is located in Theodore Wirth Regional Park in the City of Golden Valley. The lake was listed as Impaired due to excessive phosphorus levels. In recent years water quality goals were met except during instances where seasonal overflows from Bassett Creek into Wirth Lake occurred.With one relatively simple project, the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission anticipates that the excess phosphorus problem will be resolved once and for all.
Wolverton Creek is a 25 mile long tributary to the Red River of the North. Its watershed drains approximately 105 square miles located in Wilkin and western Clay Counties. Wolverton Creek is the outlet for numerous ditch systems and natural drainage in the area and is a significant contributor of sediment to the Red River. The City of Moorhead and other downstream communities obtain drinking water from the Red River. Since 85% of Moorhead's drinking water comes from the Red River, high turbidity results in
higher treatment costs for their drinking water system.
In partnership with the City of Coon Rapids, the Coon Creek Watershed District will address Coon Creek's aquatic life and recreation impairments by reducing nutrient and bacteria loading attributable to stormwater runoff from an 822-acre urban catchment. The project will retrofit an existing in-line rate control pond with a large iron-enhanced sand filter bench to target dissolved phosphorus, reducing TP loading to Coon Creek by 69 pounds per year. It will also incorporate bio-char into the filter media mixture to reduce E.
Producer driven inquiries and significant land conversion pressure away from grazing lands has developed growing interest from SWCD's and conservation partners to develop a program that keeps cattle on the landscape while maintaining and improving wildlife habitat and protecting and improving water quality. RIM easements that allow long-term grazing coupled with approved grazing plans that take wildlife and water quality into consideration will be utilized to protect approximately 716 acres.
