Increases in crop prices have reduced the acreage of land in conservation set-aside programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program and other marginal land use. Significant conversion of grasslands to cultivated agricultural crops has increased the levels of runoff and sedimentation. Phase III of this project addresses the need to protect vulnerable sites by installing water and sediment basins. These basins are earthen embankments built to temporarily detain sediment-laden runoff, allowing sediment to settle out before runoff is discharged.
This project is Phase IV of work to install water and sediment basins located within Sand Hill Watershed. A water and sediment basin is an earthen embankment built so that sediment-laden runoff is temporarily detained, allowing sediment to settle out before runoff is discharge. These are installed on agricultural cropland where erosion exceeds the allowable soil rate. Minimum detention time to store water is 36 hours for a 10 year, 24 hour runoff event. Starting in 2010, the District received dollars to assist landowners with flood-related projects.
The study will assess existing phosphorus data records and create a model to explain phosphorus loading into the Red River of the North. Studies have found that the majority of nutrient loading in the stream located in agricultural areas occurs with sediment loading since nutrients are typically bound to sediment particles.
To contractor will develop materials on the topic of phosphorus retention by bioretention media components. Information from the deliverables will be incorporated into the Minnesota Stormwater Manual, with the goal of providing information to MS4 permittees to facilitate compliance with Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) requirements in stormwater permits.
In 2002, Farquar and Long Lakes were placed on the impaired waters list due to high phosphorus levels that caused algal blooms and reduced water clarity. The City of Apple Valley is proposing a combination of two enhancements to achieve a 61 pound reduction in phosphorus.
The main goal of this pilot project is to use cutting-edge biological and data analysis methods to investigate, determine, and report on potential environmental stressors (including contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), adverse outcome pathways (AOPs, i.e., sub-organismal biological mechanisms that link environmental stressor occurrences to adverse organismal outcomes), and biological outcomes in urban surface and stormwater samples.
Phase II of this project will focus on source assessment, running watershed scenarios, Kego Lake TMDL, lake protection planning, Stressor identification and the continuation of the Civic Engagement components of the project. Information gathered in Phase II will be utilized in developing the WRAP report which will be developed in the future Phase III of the project.
This project is a continuation of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study that addresses lake eutrophication (phosphorus) in two lakes that are on the 2014 United States Environmental Protection Agency 303(d) list of impaired waters, located in the Pine River Watershed. The contractor will be responding to public comment on the Pine River TMDL.
The purpose of this project is to address Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) comments on the pre-public notice draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report that were received by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in January 2016.
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.
In 2022, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will engage in Intensive Watershed Monitoring in the Missouri River Basin which includes four watersheds. Through this agreement, the Pipestone Soil and Water Conservation District will assist with this effort by monitoring seven stream sites in three of the targeted watersheds. The sites are located on Medary Creek, Flandreau Creek, Pipestone Creek, Rock River (x2), Poplar Creek, and Chanarambie Creek. The sites were chosen by the MPCA and agreed upon by local entities.
The Platte River is listed by MPCA as impaired for fish bioassessments and water temperature. It is a recreational river used by many swimmers, paddlers and flotation users. The Platte is a major tributary to the Mississippi River which is the primary drinking water supply from St. Cloud to the Gulf. The Mississippi River segment immediately below Royalton is also impaired and therefore remedial efforts above are imperative.
The City of Lindstrom has identified the subwatershed that includes Pleasant Hill Park as a high priority for a stormwater management project due to the high volume of untreated stormwater discharging directly into South Lindstrom Lake. This is a cooperative project between the City of Lindstrom and the Chisago Lakes Lake Improvement District.
The City of Annandale intends to implement stormwater infiltration systems to reduce stormwater discharge volumes and to prevent the discharge of nutrients and sediment from urban runoff into local water bodies.
This project is for the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) that are effective at abating nonpoint source sediment runoff and E. coli to impaired waterbodies within the Plum Creek Watershed. BMPs will include on farm practices such as no-till farming and cover crops as well as structural practices within the watershed which includes 24 Water and Sediment Control Basins (WASCOB), 8 grade stabilization structures, and 2 miles of streambank stabilization monitoring. Implementation practices in this plan will work toward achieving water quality standards for both TSS and E.
Consistent with the implementation recommendation of the Total Maximum Daily Load Study , the goal of this project is to install 30 grade stabilization structures along Polk County Ditch 80 to reduce sediment loading by 270 tons per year. Polk County Ditch 80 contributes a large amount of sediment to the Sand Hill River which currently does not meet state water quality standards for sediment.
