The project goal is to conduct water chemistry monitoring at four subwatershed sites and one basin site in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Water chemistry monitoring will be conducted at a wide range of flow conditions with emphasis of collecting samples during periods of moderate and high flows after runoff events, as defined in the Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (WPLMN) Standard Operating Procedures and Guidance. The data collected will be submitted to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and used in the FLUX32 model for calculating pollutant loads.
The goal of this project is to simulate up to ten scenarios using the recently completed Hydrologic Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) model for the Mississippi River–Lake Pepin (MRLP) watershed. The mode will be used to investigate a variety of management scenarios to support further planning work and implementation in the watershed. Model scenarios are being developed to inform 1W1P planning activities and future implementation.
The outcomes associated with this project are primarily aimed to support and serve as a foundation for phase 2 of Mississippi River - St. Cloud Cycle 2 WRAPS/TMDL project. Outcomes of this project will include an initial watershed stakeholder public participation event, the development of a general Public Participation outline with the establishment of a media tool like a watershed Share Point site, and an in depth analysis and up to date summary of the status/actions completed towards the Strategy Table goals noted within the various subwatersheds of the 2015 MRSC WRAPS report.
The Mississippi River-St. Cloud (MRSC) Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Update project will provide an opportunity to evaluate the water quality impairments, complete pollutant source assessments, establish loading capacities and allocations for several of the impairments, prioritize water bodies for protection and restoration, and evaluate and recommend restoration and protection strategies.
This Phase 1 project will support project planning, coordination and civic engagement/outreach components of the Mississippi River (Headwaters) Major Watershed project. Phase 1 of this project will focus towards the development of project teams, identifying stakeholders, developing an initial civic engagement strategic plan and reviewing current and past watershed project data.
This project will build a working watershed SWAT model that can readily be used by the MPCA to provide information to support conventional parameter TMDLs and to identify critical areas for BMP installation/evaluation that can be supported by the efforts of the local Farmer Led Council as well as other land owners within the Mississippi River-Winona watershed.
The goal of this project is complete a dataset necessary for assessment of 6 stream sites and 11 lakes within the Mississippi Headwaters Watershed to determine the overall health of its water resources, to identify impaired waters, and to identify those waters in need of additional protection to prevent future impairments.
This project will investigate the effects of different farming practices on soil health and nitrogen loss in a minimally tilled, corn-soybean farming rotation in Southeast Minnesota. The project area is a roughly 20 acre, pattern tiled field that will be split into two fields of nearly equal sizes. This will be a paired comparison of a control field and a treatment field where cover crops will be employed. Nitrogen loss will be monitored via two tile control structures and routine collection and analysis of tile water.
The project goal is to conduct water chemistry monitoring at three subwatershed sites in 2016-2019 and ongoing as needed in based on flow conditions, targeting runoff events using protocols defined in the Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (WPLMN) Standard Operating Procedures and Guidance. The data collected will be submitted to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and used in the FLUX32 model for calculating pollutant loads.
Whitewater Watershed Project will work in coordination with Winona County, Root River (Houston County) Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), and Wabasha County SWCD to collect water quality and chemistry parameters on eight Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) approved stream sites and two lake sites within the Mississippi River Winona/La Crescent watershed during the 2020-2021 sampling season. Parameters to be tested include: TSS, TP, Chloride, CaCO3 (hardness), E. Coli, Chl - a corrected for Pheo, hardness, specific conductance, clarity, temperature, pH, DO.
This project will focus on creating a watershed identity, monitoring & assessment, stressor ID assistance, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report development, Watershed Restoration & Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report development, watershed prioritization and targeting, and the continuation of the Civic Engagement components of the project. Currently, this watershed has seven listed conventional impairments (Lake Eutrophication); however, it is possible that additional stream impairments (up to four) may be identified during the IWM process.
This project will assist in assessing the quality of the Mississippi River bordering with Wisconsin in partnership with the Minnesota DNR (MNDNR), the Wisconsin DNR (WIDNR) and the Metropolitan Council of Environmental Services (MCES). Sampling will be conducted in 2016 using water chemistry and biological indicators, using a 5 state strategy recently developed recently with the leadership of the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association. The Minnesota entities will focus their work on the River from St Anthony Falls to the Chippewa River confluence in Lake Pepin.
Phase 1 of this project is primarily geared towards project planning and coordination among project partners, developing an initial civic engagement strategic plan, holding a watershed kick-off meeting, and gathering and summarizing available water quality data.
The goal of this project is to complete the construction, calibration, and validation of a Hydrological Simulation Program – FORTRAN (HSPF) watershed model for a portion of the Mississippi River-Lake Pepin watershed.
Phase 2 of the Mississippi River - Brainerd Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) project will: develop the WRAPS report and the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study, which allocates pollutant load reductions for impaired waters; implement a civic engagement plan; and develop watershed modeling scenarios to help understand implementation needs in the watershed.
This project will develop a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report as well as Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies where needed. The TMDLs will provide the quantitative pollutant load reduction estimates and a set of pollutant reduction and watershed management strategies to achieve water quality standards for the impairments within the watershed. Strategies for protecting the unimpaired waters within the watershed will also be included.
Several important milestones will be completed during this phase of the Mississippi River (Headwaters) Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) project. These milestones will include the completion of the Stressor ID & Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Reports, the completion of the Zonation Modeling watershed priority planning process (through the continuation of the Civic Engagement project component), and the development of the overall WRAPS report.
This project will identify areas for potential Best Management Practice (BMP) placement and identify strategies to strengthen social capacity and effectively engage citizens in development of the upcoming Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report.
This project will address Step 2b in the Watershed approach process and computation of TMDLS for those impaired waters determined to be in need of them.
Several important milestones will be completed during this Phase (Phase II) of the Mississippi River (Headwaters) Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) project. These milestones will include the completion of the Stressor ID & Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Reports, the completion of the Zonation Modeling watershed priority planning process (through the continuation of the Civic Engagement project component), and the development of the overall WRAPS report.
The Mississippi River Winona/La Crescent (WinLaC) Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) Update Project will help local watershed partners prioritize areas of the WinLaC watersheds through watershed monitoring and analysis, inventorying wells and mapping Best Management Practices (BMPs).
This project is for a contract with Emmons & Olivier Resources Inc to develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs; a federal clean Water Act requirement) and a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report for the for Mississippi River - LaCrescent and Winnebago River watersheds.
This project will support the sampling of six stream sites: two reaches of the Little Rock River, two Locations on the Kanaranzi Creek, one location on the East Branch of the Kanaranzi Creek as well as one location on the Ocheyedan River.
The goal of this project is to extend the existing Upper Big Sioux, Lower Big Sioux, Little Sioux, and Rock River Hydrologic Simulation Program Fortran (HSPF) watershed models. The contractor will produce an HSPF model with meteorological, point source, and atmospheric deposition input timeseries extended through 2023.
The goal of this project is to develop Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) allocations and complete a final draft TMDL report for the 29 stream impairments listed in the Missouri River Basin. The project will produce completed models and pollutant source assessments for each impairment parameter, and a draft TMDL report that summarizes results of these analyses and TMDL allocations for each stream.
This project will assess the exposure and effects of WWTP effluent on a model vertebrae organism, the fathead minnow. Through a series of controlled experiments, to be conducted on-site of the WWTP utilizing the Mobile Exposure Laboratory Trailer (MELT),SCSU will address (1) onset and timing of acute exposure effects, (2) downstream exposure effects, and (3) reproductive consequences of exposure for male and female fathead minnows. MPCA EAO staff will provide technical assistance and oversight of the project.
This project will use the Spatially Referenced Regression On Watersheds (SPARROW) model as a means of assessing and characterizing the nitrogen loading situation in Minnesota. These results will be used along with other nitrogen loading characterization efforts conducted by others, so that a more complete characterization can be conducted. The results of this effort will be useful as Minnesota works to establish state-specific goals and strategies to address its contribution to Gulf of Mexico hypoxia.
Using data supplied by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), this project will model the relationship between sulfate and sulfide in wild rice habitats.
This purpose of this project is to evaluate the conditions of eight streams in the Cedar River Watershed and one site on the Wapsipinicon River. Monitoring will take place for two years. Mower Soil and Water Conservation District staff will collect samples following Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Intensive Watershed Monitoring (IWM) sample collection protocols and will organize and review all field and laboratory data, along with field notes and photos.
This project supports monitoring and assessment activities by MPCA EAO staff and includes lab analysis, equipment, and fieldwork expenses associated with monitoring and assessment activities within the described priority watersheds.
Lake Monitoring: Lakes are monitored for nutrients, clarity and other information to provide the data needed to assess the aquatic recreation use support.
This project supports activities by MPCA Watershed Division staff that provide technical assistance, project oversight, coordination, outreach and other agency activities associated with assessing, listing and conducting TMDL studies throughout the State of Minnesota. Project also includes lab analysis, equipment, and fieldwork expenses associated with TMDL work at the MPCA.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) uses a watershed-oriented approach to assess surface water quality and define restoration and protection measures. Each of Minnesota's 81 major watersheds is assessed intensively every 10 years, based on a staggered schedule that addresses, on average, eight watersheds per year. To increase the amount of data directly available to the public online, and to make internal operations more efficient, the MPCA started a multi-year Watershed Data Integration Project (WDIP).
This project supports monitoring and assessment activities by MPCA EAO staff and includes lab analysis, equipment, and fieldwork expenses associated with monitoring and assessment activities.
Lake Monitoring: Lakes are monitored for nutrients, clarity and other information to provide the data needed to assess the aquatic recreation use support.
This project supports monitoring and assessment activities by MPCA EAO staff and includes lab analysis, equipment, and fieldwork expenses associated with monitoring and assessment activities.The ambient groundwater monitoring network describes the current condition and trends in Minnesota's groundwater quality.
This project supports monitoring and assessment activities by MPCA Environmental Assistance and Outcomes staff and includes lab analysis, equipment, and fieldwork expenses associated with monitoring and assessment activities.The ambient groundwater monitoring network describes the current condition and trends in Minnesota's groundwater quality.
This project funds MPCA technical assistance for the Clean Water Partnership grant program. This program provides funding for grants that prevent impairment and degradation of lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater.
This project supports activities by MPCA technical staff that provide technical assistance, project oversight, coordination, and other agency activities associated with assessing, listing, and conducting TMDL studies throughout the State of Minnesota. Project funding also includes lab analysis, equipment, and fieldwork expenses.
This project supports monitoring and assessment activities by MPCA EAO staff and includes lab analysis, equipment, and fieldwork expenses associated with monitoring and assessment activities.
Lake Monitoring: Lakes are monitored for nutrients, clarity and other information to provide the data needed to assess the aquatic recreation use support.
