This project will fix problems at the statewide/system level so that all Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) reports and other projects will benefit by saving money and time as they will no longer have to do data reconciliation work.
Co-sponsorship and assistance with a portion of the financial support for the 9th & 10th Annual International Lake of the Woods Water Quality Forum (Forum) to be held on March 7-8, 2012 and March 13-14, 2013 at the Rainy River Community College in International Falls, Minnesota. The Forum will feature the latest information on research conducted by Canadian and U.S. researchers regarding the International Lake of the Woods waters.
This project will develop an inventory of the Chisago County public ditch system and significant tributaries, including record searching and field verification to identify and confirm locations of existing public ditches. This project will also identify, inventory and evaluate functions, purpose, and necessity of the Chisago County ditch system and determine legal status of ditches, rights, and responsibilities as defined in Minnesota Statutes 103E.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has been monitoring for contaminants of emerging concern in Minnesota's surface water since 2007. These contaminants include a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and other chemicals that can harm fish and wildlife and human health. One group of these chemicals, disinfection by-products, are formed when water is treated with chlorine. Some of these chemicals are cancer-causing and highly toxic.
Funding supports an Irrigation Specialist to develop guidance and provide education on irrigation and nitrogenbest management practices (BMPs). In this position, Dr. Vasu Sharma provides direct support to irrigators onissues of irrigation scheduling and soil water monitoring. She is collaborating on the development of new irrigationscheduling tools that help irrigators manage water and nitrogen resources more precisely. These tools help reducenitrogen leaching losses in irrigated cropping systems.
Project will focus on BMP's that reduce runoff and/or keep water on the land. The establishment of 8 native plantings on 153 acres using an approved 15 native species mix on marginal farm fields will significantly reduce runoff of sediments and nutrients, and act as a filter to remove nutrients and sediment from fields upslope. Based on RUSLE2 estimates, 336.6 tons/yr of soil will be saved, and 202 lbs/yr of phosphorus and 3,336 lbs/yr of nitrates will not runoff the fields and/or leach into the ground water.
Provide funding to counties to assist low-income homeowners with needed Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems (SSTS) upgrades to protect public health and the environment.
Two years of condition monitoring, data management, and project oversight for designated lake and stream locations within this major watershed. Two stream sites will be monitored by the Isanti Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). Ten lake sites will be monitored by the SWCD with assistance from volunteers. Chemistry and field observation data will be taken in 2024 and 2025.
This contract is for Itasca County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) to assist in the public participation activities in Rainy Basin Watersheds of Little Fork and Big Fork.
This project will develop, implement, and evaluate the impacts of co-developed civic engagement outcomes for the St. Louis River, Big Fork River, and Littlefork River watersheds.
"This proposal is to monitor all MPCA target streams and lake sites in the Upper Mississippi Grand Rapids watershed located within Itasca County. Itasca County SWCD has been working collaboratively with MPCA in its intensive watershed monitoring effort on a number of grants to assess the overall health of our water resources and to identify waters with impairments along with those in need of additional protection to prevent future impairments.
Itasca SWCD will work with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as a collaborative effort to monitor the Big Fork River near Bigfork at State Highway 6 and Big Fork River near Craigsville at State Highway 6. Itasca Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff will strive to capture the peak, rising, and falling limbs of the hydrograph for spring run-off and significant storm events as well as base flow samples. Itasca SWCD staff will utilize local rain gauge readers, storm tracking weather services, and historical stage data to aid in making monitoring judgments.
The Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation District will collect water quality and chemistry parameters on two stream sites in the Des Moines Watershed during the 2022 – 2023 sampling seasons. The sites will be monitored according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) water monitoring standard opperating procedures. All samples will be sent to an approved laboratory and all data will be analyzed and interpreted by the MPCA.
Jackson SWCD will collect water chemistry data at three sites; West Fork Little Sioux River, Little Sioux River, and the Loon Lake Outlet. A full suite of lab and field parameters will be collected May - September in 2011 and 2012 at all three sites.
The project involves installation of a number of stormwater best management practices in the road right-of-way and on adjacent public property during reconstruction of Johnny Cake Ridge Road and installation of the Dakota County North Creek Greenway. Practices implemented will include boulevard raingardens, tree trenches, and underground sediment collection practices.
Otter Tail County will partner with the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District and the West Otter Tail and Wilkin SWCDs to stabilize the outlet of Judicial Ditch No. 2 which has become the most critically eroding gully contributing sediment to the Otter Tail River. When stabilized, sediment to the river will be reduced by 988 tons per year, and total phosphorus will be reduced by 840 pounds per year. The sediment reduction associated with this project is 7 percent of the 6,868 tons per year goal set by the Lower Otter Tail River Total Maximum Daily Load.
In October 2018, a petition for improvement of Lyon-Redwood Joint Judicial Ditch No. 15 (JD15) was accepted by the Lyon-Redwood Joint Drainage Authority. To control gully erosion and improve water quality, four water and sediment control basins are being proposed in the JD15 Final Engineer's Report. The basins will temporarily store overland runoff from within the watershed, allowing sediment and nutrients to settle out during dewatering. Clear Creek headwaters reach 07020006-567 is listed on MPCA's 2022 impaired waters list for impairments due to total suspended solids.
The 14,080 acre watershed of JD#30 and JD#18 drains into the Thief River four miles upstream of Thief River Falls. The City of Thief River Falls draws their drinking water from the reservoir the Thief River supplies. This reservoir is filling with sediment faster than anticipated. It was first estimated that the reservoir would require dredging every 50 years. The last dredging was needed in only 35 years at a price tag of $1.1 million. Treatment of the water for drinking is a major expense to the City.
The goal of this project is monitoring, assessment and data collection in six un-assessed streams and three lakes in the Snake River watershed, in addition to the implementation of sixteen approved Best Management Practices (BMP's), ten forest stewardship plan developments, community outreach, education and civic engagement activities.
This project encompasses surface water quality sampling within the Snake River Watershed over a period of two years (2017-18). This is the cycle II monitoring as follow-up to the original Snake River Watershed monitoring 10 years ago as part of the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report (WRAPS). This project shall provide follow-up data on the waters in the Snake River Watershed in regards to changes in water quality over this 10-year cycle. The current sampling project will entail sampling 5 lakes and 11 stream sites.
In September of 2009 and January of 2010, the Federal Government allocated $300,000 worth of Federal Funds to the Kanaranzi-Little Rock Watershed District through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Funds were to be utilized as cost-share assistance for conservation practices such as terraces, waterways and water and sediment control basins. All practices are designed to reduce erosion and also help mitigate flood damages. The program received more requests for funds than what was available.
In September of 2009 and January of 2010, the Federal Government allocated $300,000 worth of Federal Funds to the Kanaranzi-Little Rock Watershed District through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Funds were to be utilized as cost-share assistance for conservation practices such as terraces, waterways and water and sediment control basins. All practices are designed to reduce erosion and also help mitigate flood damages.
For several decades, community members, lake associations, county officials, and local natural resource professionals have targeted Lake Wakanda in Kandiyohi County to improve water quality. This community led team, is working to address conservation issues within the watershed and the deeply degraded waters caused by years of altered hydrology, increased urban stormwater runoff, and increased agricultural pressures. This grant application is a phase I approach to resolving these issues by focusing on watershed management in Kandi Creek, a tributary into Lake Wakanda.
Revise Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) lesson plans about karst geology and groundwater protection, to align with new Minnesota Science Standards (2019) and provide grade level recommendations. The project will add or remove activities so that the lessons better support grade-specific standards and approaches to learning. The plans will also provide recommendations regarding communicating to local teachers in southeast Minnesota and how to support the use of the lesson plans.
