Most if not all people in the Rum River watershed get their drinking water from groundwater meaning groundwater quality is of utmost importance. The purpose of this project is to complement citizen and decision maker awareness of the relationship between unsealed wells, groundwater and drinking water. This project proposes to provide resources that will enable these landowners to take action on their land to protect groundwater quality by sealing unused and abandoned wells.
The SWCD Local Capacity Services grant program provides funds to Soil and Water Conservation Districts that focuses on increasing capacity to address four resource concern areas - Soil Erosion, Riparian Zone Management, Water Storage and Treatment, and Excess Nutrients.
The SWCD Local Capacity Services grant program provides funds to Soil and Water Conservation Districts that focuses on increasing capacity to address four resource concern areas - Soil Erosion, Riparian Zone Management, Water Storage and Treatment, and Excess Nutrients.
The MDA's technical assistance helps ensure that current and accurate scientific information is made available and used to address water quality concerns in agricultural areas of Minnesota. This funding has been used to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation practices, share information from research and demonstration sites and enhance outreach and education to the agricultural community and local government partners.
The Clay SWCD will partner with the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District (BRRWD) and landowners to stabilize gullies to the Red River. The first priority will be to address ongoing erosion in Snakey Creek. Snakey Creek is the outlet of County Ditch No. 41 which has become the most critically eroding gully contributing sediment to the Red River in our targeted reach. When stabilized, sediment load to the river will be reduced by 1404 tons per year, and Total Phosphorus will be reduced by 1615 pounds per year.
This grant will fund about 45 projects in High Groundwater Priority areas, High Surface Water Priority area, and/or in sub-watershed with stressed/impaired streams for the four WinLaC planning regions. These practices will reduce overland total nitrogen loading and loading to groundwater; reduce overland total phosphorous and sediment; and increase headwater storage and/or reduce peak flow rates and sediment loading.
The North Fork Crow River Watershed planning workgroup has based its comprehensive watershed management plan on seven planning regions. Each planning region has a list of prioritized resource concerns, measurable goals and implementation actions. Implementation actions are targeted in locations within each planning region, prioritized based on local concerns, programs, etc.