The goal of this project is to collect real-time, parameter data for specific conductance, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and stream flow at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) gaging stations located at Fargo and Grand Forks, ND on the Red River of the North. The data will be published on the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) website.
The goal of this project is to extend, calibrate, and validate the existing Hydrological Simulation Program – FORTRAN (HSPF) watershed models in the Red Lake River, Thief River, Clearwater River and Red Lake watersheds.
International Water Institute (IWI) staff will monitor 24 sites in the Bois de Sioux, Mustinka (2 sites), Buffalo (8 sites), Red Lake (4 sites), Sandhill (3 sites), Thief (2 sites), and Tamarac River (3 sites) Watersheds intensively over a 2 year period in an attempt to collect 25 samples per year at each site. If conditions allow for the collection of all planned samples, 1200 stream samples will be collected over the time period. Monitoring will include field measurements, observations, and at least three photographs during each site visit.
MN Legislative Clean Water Fund funding to engage citizens in local watershed monitoring, work with regional partners to promote understanding and protection of watersheds, and organize and facilitate gathering of scientific data all for the benefit of water quality in the Red River Basin.
The purpose of this project is to improve understanding of primary productivity in the Red River and the diversity and population structure of the algal communities occurring along the river system. This will be accomplished through taxonomic identification of periphyton and phytoplankton assemblages necessary for characterizing responses to nutrient gradients along the Red River of the North.
This project is planned in the Skunk Creek subwatershed, which empties into the turbidity impaired Nemadji River. The goal of the project will restore the stream and stabilize the bank where a 30 year old sediment retention structure failed, releasing sediment into the Nemadji Watershed. In addition, remaining structures within the watershed will be prioritized and a discussion between land owners and permitting organizations will be initiated. This project will prevent an estimated 80 tons of sediment from annually entering into the Nemadji River.
The purpose of the project is to reduce the amount of sediment entering Burnham Creek, which is a tributary of the Red Lake River within the Red River Basin. The Red Lake River is classified as a source water protection area for the City of East Grand Forks and currently does not meet state water quality standards for sediment. The goal of this project is to install one grade stabilization structure within the channel which outlets into the Burnham Creek channel and two side water inlets with buffers.
The goal of this project is to engage citizens in local watershed monitoring, work with regional partners to promote understanding and protection of watersheds, and organize and facilitate gathering of scientific data for the benefit of water quality in the Red River Basin.
The goal of this project is to engage citizens in local watershed monitoring, work with regional partners to promote understanding and protection of watersheds, and organize and facilitate gathering of scientific data for the benefit of water quality in the Red River Basin.
The goal of this project is to construct, calibrate, and validate a watershed model using the Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) model for the Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed. The contractor will produce an HSPF model that can readily be used to provide information to support conventional parameter Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Studies. The model will generate predicted output for hydrology, sediment, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen that is consistent with observed data.
This project will monitor streams in target watersheds located in Ottertail and Wadena counties. Six sites have been identified by MPCA for biological monitoring; this project will complete the chemical and field analysis at these six sites.
The Redeye River watershed is conducting the second intensive watershed assessment. The water quality in the watershed is still pretty healthy, but the streams with poor water quality identified previously are still not meeting water quality standards. The goal during this cycle is to better identify problem areas so that parcel specific implementation can occur to achieve improved water quality. The best method available to better target implementation is through culvert inventories, visual and desktop surveys, as well as outreach.
Watershed based implementation funds will be used to target conservation practices utilizing the principles associated with Prioritize, Target and Measure as referenced in our Local Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan. The following are projects/practices, and their associated pollution reduction estimates, that are included in this budget request: (500 acres of Nonstructural BMPs) to protect/improve land management and reduce bacteria will reduce phosphorus by 65 lbs/yr, nitrogen by 520 lbs/yr, and sediment by 285 tons/yr.
Hydes Lake is the headwaters to Carver Creek and is known for its excellent fishery. However, the lake has elevated nutrient levels which lead to poor water quality. A clean up plan for Hydes Lake has identified the need to reduce phosphorus loading by 81 percent from watershed sources.
A large portion of Wadena County has been identified as having a high or moderate probability of elevated nitrate concentrations. With almost all of the residents in Wadnea County getting there drinking water from groundwater sources, this issue is a top priority to the county. Through this project, nitrates and other water soluble contaminants leacing into sensitive sand plain aquifers will be reduced by providing cost-share incentives to encourage irrigation producers to convert high or medium pressure irrigation systems to low pressure systems.
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.
High sediment levels in streams are prevalent throughout South Eastern Minnesota. Installing proven and cost-effective conservation practices that collectively reverse these impairments while also meeting flood protection and ecosystem support goals are needed. The purpose of this project is to design, construct, and maintain two retention structures and restore approximately one mile of failed stream bank. This project integrates objectives of Olmsted County, the Department of Natural Resources and City of Rochester into a common project.
Hydes Lake is the headwaters to Carver Creek and is known for its excellent fishery. However, the lake has elevated nutrient levels which lead to poor water quality. A clean up plan for Hydes Lake identified the need to reduce phosphorus loading by 81 percent from watershed sources.
This project is a continuation project of a successful 2011 Clean Water Fund project. The primary purpose of the project is to reduce soil loss from fields and improve the water quality of Red Lake Watershed District Ditch #3. This project will eliminate sediment deposition and reduce maintenance costs along the ditch system by installing 15 sidewater inlets. The project is a team effort with the Red Lake Watershed District and the landowners located along the ditch system.
The primary purpose of the project is to reduce soil loss from fields, improve the water quality of Roseau River Watershed District Ditch #3 by eliminating sediment deposition. This project will reduce maintenance costs along the ditch system by installing 29 sidewater inlets. The project will be a team effort with the Roseau County Soil and Water Conservation District and private landowners located along the ditch systems.
Stormwater runoff from the City of Kimball drains untreated into Willow Creek, a trout stream. Willow Creek is tributary to Lake Betsy, which is impaired by excess nutrients. This project targets phosphorus removal for Lake Betsy as identified in the Upper Watershed TMDL Studies for the Clearwater River Watershed and protection to Willow Creek trout habitat by infiltrating the 1.5-inch storm event off 428 acres in and around the City of Kimball.
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 Aitkin County Soil and Water Conservation District will partner with local lake associations and other eligible community partners to reduce the impacts of storm water runoff and retain water on the land. We will implement a mini-grant program that will install rain gardens and native vegetation buffers along shorelines using deep-rooted native vegetation that will filter runoff, promote infiltration, and control stormwater runoff and soil erosion.
The Redwood River watershed is one of the last remaining watersheds to complete Cycle I of the Watershed Restoration & Protections Strategies (WRAPS) process. The scope of this project upon completion is have two reports developed; a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies report and a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the entire watershed.
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.
The Redwood River and Cottonwood River watersheds encompass approximately 2,020 square miles of southwestern Minnesota in the Minnesota River Basin. Land use in these watersheds is mostly agricultural and area geology makes them prone to erosion. Surface water issues within the two watersheds are a concern of local leaders. The counties and Soil and Water Conservation District leaders formed the Redwood Cottonwood Rivers Control Area (RCRCA) Joint Powers Board in 1983 to address sedimentation, water quality and quantity, and erosion issues.
In 2024 and 2025, Redwood-Cottonwood Rivers Control Area (RCRCA) will collect water chemistry samples from 3 stream sites (Crow Creek, Spring Creek and Wabasha Creek) within the Minnesota - Mankato watershed. From May through September of 2024, 11 samples will be collected from Crow Creek and 12 samples will be collected from both Spring Creek and Wabasha Creek. For 2025, 8 samples will be collected from Crow Creek and 9 samples from both Spring Creek and Wabasha Creek from May through September.
Since 2008, a ravine on the Northwest side of Reitz Lake has been eroding on a private parcel, causing sediment and nutrients to discharge into the waterbody. This project will stabilize a ravine that has formed from Airport Road down to Reitz Lake.
The Reitz Lake restoration project began several years ago when water quality samples showed the lake was impaired. Carver County and residents around the lake took action and began to develop a plan (TMDL) to clean up Reitz Lake.Once the TMDL study and the associated implementation plan (which helps to target specific projects) were completed, funding was sought to target high priority projects around the Lake. First, direct untreated run-off from a farmed area of approximately 100 acres to the north of the lake will be slowed and filtered before it enters the lake.
The USGS and the MPCA will determine the relative contributions of endocrine active chemicals (EACs) and pharmaceuticals from WWTP effluent to aquatic ecosystems. The primary objective is to measure the concentrations of EACs and pharmaceuticals in water samples collected from the effluents from 20 WWTPs and at sites upstream and downstream of WWTP effluent discharge in Minnesota during 2009-2011.
This project will provide analysis of geographic patterns, temporal trends of lake clarity and relationships of water clarity to other lake properties, land cover and demographic factors by use of satellite remote sensing. Data for all lakes and years are available in the LakeBrowser, a web-based mapping tool that enables searches and display of results for individual lakes. This project will extend and add to the database, analyze current and new data, and enhance the capability for resource managers to access and use the data.
The primary outcome of this project will be to work with five local landowners to implement BMPs that focus on protection of the Renville County portion of the Minnesota River- Mankato Watershed from elevated nutrient levels, in particular phosphorus. This project will utilize outreach and education to incorporate public involvement and input into targeted BMP implementation and the decision making process of watershed issues.
The goal of this project is to implement 10-15 medium sized projects that will infiltrate and reduce pollutant loads to the waters in the Riley-Purgatory-Creek Watershed District. The District intends to achieve this by using their Citizen Advisors who are well involved with local associations, City staff who are familiar with associations in their jurisdiction and also seek less-known association through various advertising methods. We intend to use staff knowledge to insure that the projects are suitable for the site and implemented correctly to maximize efficiency.
