This project involves monitoring three data deficient lakes in the Crow Wing River Watershed and one stream site at the inlet to White Earth Lake. The data deficient lakes were on the MPCA Targeted watershed list. After getting the required assessment dataset for these lakes, all targeted lakes in Becker County will be completed for this assessment cycle. The stream site is a site that the White Earth Lake Association and the Becker Coalition of Lake Associations (COLA) will monitor. It is the inlet to White Earth Lake.
This project will obtain lab and field data for waterbodies within the Wild Rice Watershed, to meet surface water assessment goals. Data will continue to be collected further upstream of some 2008 sites and enhance current assessment datasets. Some new tributaries, that lack assessment data, will also be monitored. The project goal is to complete the datasets necessary for the assessment of Aquatic Recreation Use for twelve streams in the Wild Rice Watershed.
This project will collect additional water quality and flow data on tributaries on the South Fork Crow River and Buffalo Creek. Further assessment of these reaches will provide a better understanding of what impacts these tributaries have on the impaired South Fork Crow River and Buffalo Creek.
A partnership of local agencies and organizations will monitor water quality at eighteen carefully chosen sites within the Red Lake River and Grand Marais Creek watersheds. Fourteen monitoring sites have been chosen within the Red Lake River watershed. Four sites have been chosen in the Grand Marais Creek watershed. Each of these sites will provide a representative assessment of the water quality conditions within one or more minor subwatersheds at the 12-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC12) level.
The Zumbro River Watershed is a major watershed in the Lower Mississippi River basin in SE Minnesota. It includes parts of six counties, covering 910,291 acres. This project will assess all 13 stream reaches in the Zumbro River Watershed to determine if they are meeting their designated uses. The monitoring will entail collecting water chemistry and field parameters.
This project will collect water quality data for 13 Hubbard County lakes located in the Crow Wing priority watershed and identified as priority lakes by the MPCA. Upon completion the project data set will include all of the necessary information for the lakes to be assessed for impairment due to nutrients. Volunteers will collect samples from 7 of the 13 lakes and paid SWCD staff will collect samples from 6 of the lakes that do not have public access or volunteers willing to sample. The water samples will be collected 5 times/year June-September in 2010 and 2011.
This project will obtain a lake data set for Douglas County while fostering lake association participation, ownership, and understanding of their lakes. A better understanding of these lakes is necessary in order to meet goals established in the 2009-2019 Comprehensive Local Water Management Plan and enable 303(d) and 305(b) assessments. Lakes included in this project are: Agnes, Alvin, Blackwell, Brophy, Charley, Cook (Cork), Crooked (East), Crooked (NW), Echo, Henry, Lovera (Lovers), Mina, Round, and Spring.
Rice County Water Resources Division will complete a Surface Water Assessment for six lakes located in the Cannon River Watershed. The lakes chosen include: Sprague Lake (66-0045-00), Mud Lake (66-0054-00), Hatch Lake (66-0063-00), Pooles Lake (66-0046-00), Logue Lake (66-0057-00), and Phelps Lake (66-0062-00). Each lake chosen is currently unassessed, and both Sprague and Mud lake are priority lakes for testing. Sampling will include testing dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, Secchi, Total phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a. The samples will be taken by volunteers and paid staff.
The goal of this project is to decrease nutrient loading in the lake and rivers within the Swan River Watershed. The Local Water Plan currently identifies surface water contamination and declining water clarity as a priority concern of Todd County. Agency members specifically identified the Swan River Watershed as an area of high priority for restoration efforts. Big Swan Lake is specifically mentioned for its roosting site for purple martins and for the unique wildlife resources it makes available in this subwatershed.
Residents in the Swan River Watershed have become increasingly concerned with their surface water quality. In an effort to reduce excess sediments and pollutants from entering surface waters, the Todd Soil and Water Conservation District will be identifying land owners in priority areas and working with them to install best management practices on lakeshore properties and feedlots within the watershed.Planned projects include: shoreland stabilization and restoration, river and lake bank stabilization, storm water controls, native plantings and livestock waste management projects.
This project will be a joint effort between the Todd Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) and the Sylvan Shores residents. Todd SWCD will organize and coordinate the project in full partnership with the Sylvan Shores residents. The actual monitoring will be a cooperative effort between Todd SWCD staff and citizen volunteers at Fawn and Pine Island Lakes.
The goal of this project is to reduce the number of vulnerable unused wells located within sensitive areas and to prevent potential groundwater contamination. This project will provide cost-share well sealing funds to target sealing of unused wells located in highly vulnerable areas within both the City of Faribault, and the City of Northfield's Drinking Water Supply Management Areas (DWSMA), and other vulnerable areas of Rice County.
A contractor with knowledge of Site Specific Standard development will respond to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) questions and concerns regarding attainability of standards based on the BATHTUB model data. In addition, they will review technical memorandums developed by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on aquatic life and aquatic recreational standard attainability.
RESPEC is a contractor with knowledge of site-specific standard development and will respond to United States Environmental Protection Agency questions and concerns regarding attainability of standards. The response will be based on bathtub model data and also a review of technical memorandums developed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on aquatic life and aquatic recreational standard attainability.
The Sauk River watershed was selected to participate in the federal Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) program in 2010 to decrease nutrient contributions to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The MRBI program provides federal cost share funds to landowners to install conservation practices.
The Children's Discovery Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota will increase access and deepen engagement with their effectively proven School Service Program. The museum will take down the economic barriers and increase enrollment. This grant will fund more educators and facilitators, curriculum development, scholarship aid, transportation assistance and art/teaching supplies.
To do preservation work at the Thorstein Veblen Farmstead National Historic Landmark, located near Nerstrand, in Rice County, Minnesota, that will provide urgently needed stabilization and preservation of three out-buildings at the farmstead, including the original small barn, the large hay barn, and the granary.
The project will monitor nine key tributaries to the Long Prairie River for water chemistry and bacteria. The streams to be monitored include Eagle Creek, Turtle Creek, Moran Creek, Fish Trap Creek, an un-named creek which outlets to Lake Charlotte in the town of Long Prairie and three stream reaches of the Long Prairie River itself. All sites are located within Todd County with the exception of one which lies just over the border in Douglas County.
This project will inventory and conduct compliance inspections on Subsurface Treatment Systems (SSTS) around eight lakes in Todd County. Lakes to be inventoried include Big Sauk Lake, Big Swan Lake, Little Osakis Lake, Fairy Lake, Lily Lake, Long Lake, Little Birch Lake and Moose Lake. Approximately 1,200 parcels will receive compliance inspections. Systems that fail to meet standards will be brought into compliance using procedures available in rule and ordinance.
This project represents the third septic inventory effort by Todd County. The four lakes included - Guernsey, Juergans, Little Sauk, and Long Lakes - are all designated by the Sauk River Water District's Sauk Lake Management Unit as high priority for water quality improvement. Three of these lakes are listed as water quality-impaired for nutrients and the fourth - Long Lake - has had periodic e.Coli problems documented in several tributaries. This project will allow Todd County to expand on previous evaluations of 13 other lakes.
Todd County Septic Inspectors will research septic systems on 313 parcels that are located in the "highly vulnerable" portion of the City of Long Prairie's Drinking Water Supply Management Area. Each parcel's tanks and soil drain fields will be inspected for septic system compliance. Todd County will follow up with landowners found to have noncompliant systems in an effort to protect Long Prairie''s drinking water supply.
The SRWD, with assistance from local volunteers, will conduct water quality assessments on William Lake, Long Lake, Cedar Lake, Bass Lake. Felix Lake, Little Osakis Lake and Trout Creek to attain the necessary data to determine impairment status.
The proposed work will be the fifth septic inventory effort conducted by Todd County and will include eight lakes, 431 parcels, and 277 established addresses. Three of the lakes - Cedar, Long Higgens, and Pauley are located in the Sauk River Watershed District's Sauk Lake Management Unit which is a high priority for improvement. These are the last three lakes of any size to be completed in the Sauk River Watershed portion of Todd County. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels are an issue through the watershed and this management unit in particular.
Crack seal and seal coat 1.5 miles of trail at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park and 3.4 miles of trail on the Dakota Rail Regional Trail. This maintains user satisfaction of 164,000 visits, and 107,000 visits annually to Lake
