The State of Minnesota has adopted a ten year cycle for managing water quality for each of the 80 major watersheds in the state. Every ten years, each major watershed will undergo a surface water assessment and a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) project. The North Fork Crow River WRAPS process is entering its second round which will focus both on addressing data gaps identified in the approved NFCRW Comprehensive Watershed Plan and on addressing additional required Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
This project will support the review of all public comments submitted for the North Fork Crow River TMDL and make appropriate edits and changes to the draft TMDL based on MPCA guidance.
This project will replace a conventional 32 foot wide neighborhood street with a narrowed 22 -24 foot wide street that will include rain gardens, sidewalk, and boulevard trees. North St. Paul is using the term Living Streets to describe a new type of street that will eventually replace most of the city's existing streets. Living streets are narrower and have less pavement than existing streets. Reducing the width of existing streets reduces construction costs and assessments to residents. It allows room for the installation of rainwater gardens to treat stormwater.
The goal of this project is to add dual endpoints to the turbidity section of the North Fork Crow TMDL so that it addresses the proposed TSS standards.
The MWMO , City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board are partnering to implement stormwater projects that reduce pollutant loading to the Mississippi River, reduce flooding and improve ecological function. Three regional Best Management Practices are being proposed in the northern portion of Columbia Golf Course, in Northeast Minneapolis, capturing and treating stormwater from 600-acres of mixed urban landuse.
This project will improve the water quality of Northwood Lake by treating storm water runoff from over 110 acres of currently untreated urban land. The project includes the installation of a variety of practices at two different locations adjacent to the lake that will maximize storm water treatment while conserving drinking water and preserving park land.
The Northwood Lake Improvement Project will treat storm water runoff from over 110 acres of currently untreated urban land through a variety of practices at two different locations adjacent to the lake. Northwood Lake is an impoundment of the North Branch of Bassett Creek located in the City of New Hope within the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC). Northwood Lake is a shallow lake with a fully developed watershed of 1,341 acres that provides very little stormwater treatment.
Within an 11-county area in southeastern Minnesota, two Nutrient Management Specialists will work directly with producers to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and fecal coliform runoff into surface and ground water in the region and the Mississippi River. The specialists will help producers create or revise nutrient management plans, implement Best Management Practices for manure and fertilizer use, and set up on-farm demonstration projects to support farmer-to-farmer learning.
This project will assist farmers across Southeast Minnesota by providing guidance on management of nutrient sources including livestock manure, commercial fertilizers, and legumes. This project is important because excess nutrients and bacteria are causing negative impacts to the quality of waters. Two Nutrient Management Specialists will work one-on-one with farmers to develop 70 plans each year. Over time, it is anticipated that the number of new nutrient management plans will decrease as acres with plans increase.
The goal of this project is to refine the nutrient and algae simulation in the Minnesota River basin using all relevant available sources of information. The outcome of this work order is a revised Hydrological Simulation Program – FORTRAN (HSPF) watershed model application for the Minnesota River basin that correctly represents nutrient sources and algae.
Little Lake Johanna is not meeting state water quality standards due to excessive phosphorus. The Rice Creek Watershed District, in partnership with the City of Roseville, will improve the water quality of stormwater runoff into Little Lake Johanna through installation of an iron-enhanced sand filter. The Oasis Pond Iron-Enhanced Sand Filter Project will annually remove approximately 34 pounds of phosphorus from runoff to Little Lake Johanna annually. This is equal to nearly 20% of the needed load reduction as established by the Southwest Urban Lakes Total Maximum Daily Load Study.
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 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.
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.
Completion of priority assessments to aid in implementing future projects. Three possible assessments have been identified for further consideration. The first is a subwatershed assessment in the South Fork Rush Creek subwatershed in Corcoran, which is adjacent to the previously completed Rush Creek Headwaters SWA. This would identify mainly agricultural BMPs for implementation in partnership with Hennepin County. The second is a feasibility assessment of re-meandering the outlet of Diamond Lake to Diamond Creek, which was identified in the Diamond Creek SWA.
Several lakes in the Shingle Creek watershed have been designated Impaired Waters for excess nutrients, and the Watershed Commission and cities continue to undertake BMPs to reduce total phosphorus and sediment to the lakes to help improve water quality. This project is the completion of subwatershed assessments in two priority areas to identify future BMPs addressing ongoing lake nutrient impairments. The areas are the drainage area to the Gaulke/ Memory Lane/ Hagemeister Pond system tributary to Middle Twin Lake; and the drainage area to Eagle Lake.
Del Clark Lake is a regionally unique resource in the Lac qui Parle Watershed. This grant contains both restoration and protection strategies aiming to maintain the quality of this rare and valuable resource in addition to restoring the recently impaired Canby Creek, which feeds into Del Clark Lake. Three grade control structures will be implemented just upstream of Del Clark to protect against sediment and aid in regulating flows. An estimate 240 pounds of phosphorous and 2,700 tons of sediment will be reduced annually.
This project will, over a 27 month period, fund a 0.75 Full Time Equivalent Conservation Planning Specialist position to update approximately 400 United States Department of Agriculture Highly Erodable Lands conservation plans on 40,000 acres in high priority areas within the Root River watershed. Currently, only 5% of the USDA conservation plans -approximately 40 per year - are being checked for compliance, and this project will increase that number to 150 or more per year.
The glacial geology of Ramsey County includes many layers of impermeable and semi-permeable material that can protect aquifers from contaminated waters. Many municipal public supply wells exist to draw water from these aquifers to supply thousands of consumers on a daily basis. Unfortunately, abandoned/unused wells also penetrate the protective layers of glacial material and can "short-circuit" the natural protection our glacial geology can provide allowing unfettered movement of contamination to even deeper aquifers below the ground.
Ramsey County has over 3,500 acres tied to faith based organizations and schools. On average, these properties contribute one billion gallons of stormwater runoff, 3,000 pounds of phosphorus, and 1,000 tons of sediment to local water bodies. The Ramsey Conservation District (RCD) in partnership with local property owners and watershed districts/water management organizations will install 6-12 stormwater projects that will help protect and improve water quality of surrounding lakes.
Ramsey County has 3,500+ acres tied to 358 faith organizations and 304 schools. On average, these properties contribute 1 billion gallons of stormwater runoff, 3,000 lbs of phosphorus, and 1,000 tons of sediment to our local water bodies. The Ramsey Conservation District (RCD), working with community partners and Watershed Districts/Water Management Organizations, will install 6-12 stormwater best management projects that will help protect and improve water quality of surrounding lakes.
The purpose of this program is to provide cost share funding to community groups for the installation of community accessible rain gardens and other water quality projects in Ramsey County. The Ramsey Conservation District (RCD) in partnership with local property owners and Watershed Districts/Water Management Organizations will install 6-12 stormwater best management projects that will help protect and improve water quality of surrounding lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands.
Ramsey County, the most densely populated county in Minnesota, generates high levels of contaminated runoff from its impervious surfaces, which can have damaging effects on both surface water and groundwater. Concerns arise when these contaminants drain into abandoned and unused wells, threatening the quality of groundwater, especially in drinking water supply areas, wellhead protection areas, or groundwater recharge zones.
The goal of the project is to create a complete Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report for the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District for inclusion into an updated Watershed Management Plan, including completion of a watershed-wide Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report sufficient for EPA approval.
This project will provide the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District the information and tools necessary to improve water quality in Battle Creek Lake, Beaver Lake, Carver Lake, Keller Lake and Wakefield Lake through targeted phosphorus reduction activities in the watershed.
The Bluff Creek Watershed TMDL Implementation Plan evaluated the stream power index for each of the gullies identified in the 1996 Management Plan. Based upon this terrain analysis, sediment loading rates from the 1999 to 2008 P8 modeling results, and modeled surface runoff, known erosion sites were prioritized. This site, which is tributary to Bluff Creek and the Minnesota River, was given the highest priority ranking.
Water quality and flood damage reduction goals can't be accomplished without reducing flows and taking a targeted approach to the upper most reaches of the most critical waterways. Water and sediment control basins are eartern structures that retain water and have been identified as one of the best tool for measured success in reducing peak flows. For this project, basins will be targeted and implemented in the Upper Cedar River Watershed, specifically in the Dobbins Creek Watershed.
Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD), in partnership with the City of Roseville, will construct a volume reduction/capture-reuse irrigation facility below the Upper Villa Park Softball field in the City of Roseville. This project will protect Lake McCarrons and the Villa Park Wetland System (VPWS) by reducing runoff volumes and the pollutants associated with urban stormwater such as Total Phosphorus (TP), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), heavy metals, and petroleum products among others.
The Metropolitan Council, in conjunction with the University of Minnesota, is evaluating outdoor water use in the Twin Cities metro region - a subject which has come under the spotlight recently due to concerns related to water quality and quantity issues. In the Twin Cities, 20% of all treated drinking water is used outdoors, with a majority of this being used on lawns and landscapes. The goal of this proposal is to reduce water use in the home landscape by conducting assessments, research, and demonstration around the smart use of irrigation.
The goal of this project is to continue best management implementation according to the Redwood River Phase II Implementation Plan (1999) and install phosphorus and total suspended solids (TSS) reducing conservation practices that will help achieve the Lower Minnesota River dissolved oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), and the Minnesota River Turbidity TMDL. The proposed implementation of conservation practices include: water and sediment control basins, grassed waterways, grade stabilizations and streambank stabilizations.
In 2017 and 2018, Redwood-Cottonwood Rivers Control Area (RCRCA) will collect water chemistry samples from the 10 lakes and 24 stream sites identified in the Redwood and Cottonwood River watersheds. Six samples will be collected at 10 lakes from May through September in 2017; five samples will be collected at 5 lakes in 2018 from May through September. Eleven samples will be collected at each of the 24 stream sites following the Basic Regime in 2017. Sixteen samples at each stream site will be collected in 2017 and 2018 following the E.coli monitoring regime.
The Redwood and Cottonwood River Watersheds have been assessed and many reaches have been impaired for turbidity, bacteria, and low dissolved oxygen. This project will accelerate conservation efforts to reduce overland runoff sediment, bacteria, and nutrient loadings contributing to water quality impairments in targeted subwatersheds.
