Olmsted SWCD will work in coordination with Fillmore SWCD and Root River (Houston) SWCD to collect water quality and chemistry parameters on 14 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency approved sites within the Root River watershed during the 2018-2019 sampling season.
Parameters to be tested include:TSS, TP, Chloride, CaCO3 (hardness), E. Coli, Chlorophyll A, Specific Conductance, Temp, pH, DO, NO2/NO3.
The ambient groundwater monitoring network collects samples for contaminants of emerging concern such as pharmaceuticals, insect repellents, bisphenol A, and alkylphenol detergent breakdown products. This project will fill a data gap by collecting water samples for organophosphate flame retardants and PFAS. Samples will be collected from 135 wells and tested for organophosphate flame retardants and selected wells for PFAS.
The goals of project are to: 1) engage stakeholders and the public in watershed management activities; 2) conduct microbial source tracking to determine the source(s) of E.
This project will determine the condition of the water bodies in the Otter Tail River watershed, initiate public participation in the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) development process, begin identification of potential stressors and priority management areas within the watershed, and begin development of initial drafts of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study and WRAPS report.
The goal of this project is to complete the construction, calibration, and validation of a Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) watershed model for the Otter Tail River watershed. The contractor will produce an HSPF model that can readily be used to provide information to support conventional parameter Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Studies. The model will generate predicted output for hydrology, sediment, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen that is consistent with observed data.
This project will be the first of its kind Civic Engagement Cohort that focusses its efforts in an individual watershed. The Otter Tail River Watershed is scheduled to start a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) in 2016 and as a component of that project, the cohort will provide the civic engagement requirement. The cohort will be comprised of 25-30 individuals located throughout the watershed who represent a broad spectrum of resource managers and citizens who are familiar with water quality and watershed management.
The goal of this project is to construct, calibrate, and validate a Hydrologic Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) watershed model for the Otter Tail watershed. The contractor will produce a HSPF watershed model application(s) that can readily be used to provide information to support conventional parameter Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The contractor will clearly demonstrate that this model generates predicted output timeseries for hydrology, sediment, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen that are consistent with available sets of observed data.
Minnesota Clean Water Funds will be used to complete a paleolimological study of the St. Louis River Estuary for the purpose of providing information critical to removing Beneficial Use Impairments in the St. Louis River Area of Concern. This project will reconstruct the biological (algal load and composition), geochemical (organic and inorganic), sediment, and mercury chronology to identify historical temporal and spatial variations in the St. Louis River Estuary in order to better understand the natural and anthropogenic drivers related to beneficial use impairments for the St.
The goal of this project is to better target restoration activities in the Cannon River watershed via a paleolimnological study of a selected set of the lakes addressed in the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the watershed. The goals are to better constrain lake phosphorus budgets, and determine the magnitude of ecological change experienced by a range of lake types.
Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions, Inc. (Wood) was selected for this project to conduct work in support of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) program. This project is a multi-phased pilot study to further validate and refine potential locations across Minnesota that may have historically been, or are currently, contaminated with PFAS. The primary objective is to evaluate potential PFAS locations, specifically compost sites, to determine presence or absence of PFAS at each site.
The study will assess existing phosphorus data records and create a model to explain phosphorus loading into the Red River of the North. Studies have found that the majority of nutrient loading in the stream located in agricultural areas occurs with sediment loading since nutrients are typically bound to sediment particles.
To contractor will develop materials on the topic of phosphorus retention by bioretention media components. Information from the deliverables will be incorporated into the Minnesota Stormwater Manual, with the goal of providing information to MS4 permittees to facilitate compliance with Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements in stormwater permits.
Establish a task force to coordinate efforts to remediate and restore Pig?s Eye Dump Superfund site and address PFAS contamination of Battle Creek, Pig's Eye Lake, and nearby groundwater.
A pilot program of wastewater treatment optimization without costly facility upgrades. This will lead to cleaner lakes and rivers without needless costs, and achieve significantly better treatment results.
The main goal of this pilot project is to use cutting-edge biological and data analysis methods to investigate, determine, and report on potential environmental stressors (including contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), adverse outcome pathways (AOPs, i.e., sub-organismal biological mechanisms that link environmental stressor occurrences to adverse organismal outcomes), and biological outcomes in urban surface and stormwater samples.
Phase II of this project will focus on source assessment, running watershed scenarios, Kego Lake TMDL, lake protection planning, Stressor identification and the continuation of the Civic Engagement components of the project. Information gathered in Phase II will be utilized in developing the WRAP report which will be developed in the future Phase III of the project.
This project is a continuation of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study that addresses lake eutrophication (phosphorus) in two lakes that are on the 2014 United States Environmental Protection Agency 303(d) list of impaired waters, located in the Pine River Watershed. The contractor will be responding to public comment on the Pine River TMDL.
The purpose of this project is to address Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) comments on the pre-public notice draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report that were received by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in January 2016.
Samples will be taken from lakes and streams from the Kettle River Watershed. The sampling and monitoring of these waters will result in a better understanding of the water quality within the watershed. Having a better understanding of the water quality in the watershed can help when targeting where to put conservation projects on the ground.
This project will complete a Watershed Restoration and Protection (WRAP) Plan that includes a set of pollutant reduction and watershed management strategies to achieve water quality standards for the listed pollutants, and that are understood and adoptable by local units of government and other stakeholders. This project will also provide an important water quality framework for civic and citizen engagement and communication, which will contribute to long-term public participation in surface water protection and restoration activities throughout the watershed.
The overall goal is to develop a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Report and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Study that will address water quality impairments and maintain or improve water quality throughout the Pioneer Sarah Creek watershed, which is part of the North and South Fork Crow major watersheds. The study will identify sources of pollutants to the streams and lakes, allocate pollution reduction goals, and prioritize and identify implementation strategies to maintain or improve water quality in key lakes and streams in the watershed.
The overall goal is to develop a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study that will address water quality stream impairments and maintain or improve water quality of streams throughout the Pioneer Sarah Creek watershed, which is part of the North and South Fork Crow major watersheds. The study will identify sources of pollutants to the streams and develop restoration and protection strategies for the streams in the Pioneer-Sarah Creek watershed.
The overall goal is to develop a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) report and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study that will address water quality lake impairments and maintain or improve water quality of lakes throughout the Pioneer Sarah Creek watershed, which is part of the North and South Fork Crow major watersheds. The study will identify sources of pollutants to the lakes and develop restoration and protection strategies for the lakes in the Pioneer-Sarah Creek watershed.
In 2022, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will engage in Intensive Watershed Monitoring in the Missouri River Basin which includes four watersheds. Through this agreement, the Pipestone Soil and Water Conservation District will assist with this effort by monitoring seven stream sites in three of the targeted watersheds. The sites are located on Medary Creek, Flandreau Creek, Pipestone Creek, Rock River (x2), Poplar Creek, and Chanarambie Creek. The sites were chosen by the MPCA and agreed upon by local entities.
The Platte River is listed by MPCA as impaired for fish bioassessments and water temperature. It is a recreational river used by many swimmers, paddlers and flotation users. The Platte is a major tributary to the Mississippi River which is the primary drinking water supply from St. Cloud to the Gulf. The Mississippi River segment immediately below Royalton is also impaired and therefore remedial efforts above are imperative.
The City of Annandale intends to implement stormwater infiltration systems to reduce stormwater discharge volumes and to prevent the discharge of nutrients and sediment from urban runoff into local water bodies.
This project is for the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) that are effective at abating nonpoint source sediment runoff and E. coli to impaired waterbodies within the Plum Creek Watershed. BMPs will include on farm practices such as no-till farming and cover crops as well as structural practices within the watershed which includes 24 Water and Sediment Control Basins (WASCOB), 8 grade stabilization structures, and 2 miles of streambank stabilization monitoring. Implementation practices in this plan will work toward achieving water quality standards for both TSS and E.
