The Cannon River and its subwatersheds are priority resources in multiple local and regional plans including the NCRWMO Watershed Plan, Cannon River Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan and the Dakota County Groundwater Plan. Agricultural BMPs, both structural and non-structural, are targeted based upon cost/benefit. The outreach, planning, and feasibility activities will further the goals of the Plans listed above.
The proposed project will provide cost share funding and technical assistance for landowners to design and implement medium-sized water quality BMPs. The installation of these projects will have measurable outcomes that will benefit water quality. BMPs could include gully stabilizations, infiltration basins, bioretention basins, hydrodynamic separators, other stormwater runoff controls and streambank and shoreline protections.
The Vermillion River and its subwatersheds are priority resources in local and regional plans including the Vermillion River Watershed Management Plan and the Dakota County Groundwater Plan. Prioritized agricultural BMPs and nitrate reduction BMPs, a subwatershed analysis, and project development of irrigation and groundwater protection practices will further the goals of the plans above.
In Dakota County, groundwater supplies more than 90 percent of the drinking water. In order to protect Dakota County's primary drinking water source, this project proposes to support the County well seal grant cost-share program. The project will provide 50 percent cost-share funding to reimburse landowners for the sealing of unused wells. The goal is to permanently seal between 80-100 unused/abandoned wells throughout the county.
Provide contract management to ENRTF pass-through appropriation recipients for approximately 115 open grants. Ensure funds are expended in compliance with appropriation law, state statute, grants policies, and approved work plans.
This proposal accelerates the protection and restoration of 792 acres of strategic prairie grasslands, associated wetlands and other wildlife habitats as State Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) open to public hunting. Pheasants Forever (PF) will be permanently protecting strategic parcels within the prairie, prairie/forest transition, and metro planning regions. These acquired properties will be restored to the highest quality wildlife habitat feasible and transferred to the MN Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) to be included into the WMA system.
This project will accelerate production of County Geologic Atlases (part A). This is a set of geologic maps and associated databases for a county that facilitate informed management of natural resources, especially water and minerals.
This project will fully fund three Nonpoint Engineering Assistance (NPEA) Joint Powers Board positions in cooperation with the NPEA Base Funding anticipated at $130,000 per year. This will allow a 2nd Professional Engineer to be retained in addition to a Lead Engineer and Technician. This 'accelerated' engineering previously was funded with BWSR Challenge Grants, and an EPA319 grant with corresponding BWSR CWF Matching Grant to handle the high workload associated with the large number of BWSR feedlot cost-share projects approved in South East Minnesota.
This project will extend two Feedlot Technical positions initially created and funded by a FY2011 CWF Feedlot Water Quality Grant that assess and help fix animal waste runoff from small feedlots. The technicians will work with and under the Technical Authority and priorities of the South East Soil and Water Conservation District Tech Support JPB lead Engineer. This project will enable more projects to be constructed resulting in a reduction of nitrogen, phosphorus and fecal coliform runoff into surface and ground water in South East Minnesota and the Mississippi River.
