The Cannon River is a designated Wild and Scenic River that originates in Rice County and joins the Mississippi River 120 miles downstream near Red Wing. The Upper Cannon, which encompasses 29% of the entire watershed, has been identified as a priority subwatershed.
This project will support the monitoring of reaches where there are data gaps, incorporate new data and relevant data, continue identification of pollutant sources, complete load duration curves, coordinate and encourage participation in stakeholder meetings. The information gathered during Phase IIB will be utilized towards the development of a Draft Restoration (TMDL) and Protection Plan (Plan).
Prior Lake has long been a regional recreation destination including swimming, boating and fishing. The lake gets year-round use from anglers pursuing bass, panfish and walleye. The undulating landscape and the lake itself are important groundwater recharge features for regional water resources including the Savage Fen, Eagle Creek water supply aquifers and the Minnesota River. The management of water quality in Prior Lake is top priority for the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District (PLSLWD) and other local partners.
The management of water quality and water levels in the Spring and Prior chain of lakes has been top priority for the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District (PLSLWD) and local partners. Fluctuating water levels affect recreational use and shoreline stability. Both lakes have poor water quality conditions and are impaired due to excessive nutrients. In 2004, the PLSLWD conducted a study that identified areas draining to Spring Lake that have potential for stormwater storage and infiltration.
Portions of the South Branch of the Buffalo River are currently overloaded with sediment. Two primary waterways in the watershed, Deerhorn Creek and the South Branch, are listed as impaired for turbidity. Due to sediment deposition in the channel, the waterways have lost much of their capacity. Historical attempts by landowners and others to restore the capacity of the channel by removing sediment have had limited success due to additional excess sediment being washed into the channel.
This project will develop a watershed restoration plan that provides quantitative pollutant load reduction estimates and a set of pollutant reduction and watershed management strategies to achieve water quality standards for all impairments within the watershed. It will also an important 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.
Editing/Transcription is the second of three projects documenting and preserving the Maritime Heritage Minnesota's historical/archaeological investigation and assessment of the USS Essex Shipwreck, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Five out of twenty-five of the vessel's previously digitized log books were edited, combined into .pdf e-books, transcribed and processed which included the creation of metadata for the digital images. The information resulting from this project is available for public access on Internet Archive.
As a pilot project for the grantee, Maritime Heritage Minnesota (MHS) the goal was to digitalize 6-10 of the 62 known log books of the USS Essex log books held at the National Archives and Records Administration and the United States Naval Academy.
After twelve days not only did they digital the entirety of the 62 log books but they were able to digitalize a private journal of a USS Essex sailor as well as a hand written journal of a sailor who served on her maiden voyage within the time allotted for the project (101 hours). In total 21,499 images were produced.
This program seeks to permanently protect, restore and enhance priority lands within the watershed of Valley Creek, a coldwater fishery that flows directly into the St. Croix River. We propose to accomplish this protection by acquiring land and conservation easements and restoring the riparian woodlands, prairies, oak savannas, and in-stream areas that provide significant habitat for fish and other wildlife.
Project partners play a vital role in the implementation of the Verdi Wellhead Protection Plan and have made this water source a priority in lowering nitrate levels. The aquifer used by the wells in the Verdi Well Field consists of a sand and gravel horizon about 30' thick which overlies clay-rich till. The geological sensitivity in all five of the Verdi wells is classified as "high".The Verdi Well Field supplies water to ten community water suppliers, 34 large rural users, and 1,126 rural hookups. Total population served by this water supply is about 7,500.
Five locations will be monitored in support of the combined Vermilion Community College and Rainy River Community College 2014 – 2015 MPCA Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (WPLMN) Sampling Grant. Water samples, field measurements, field images / pictures, and other measurements and observations will be obtained at each location during each sampling event.
The VRWJPO is pursuing a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) project in cooperation with the MPCA in order to better identify the sources of stress and impairment to the river, tributaries, and lakes and evaluate the feasibility of reaching water quality goals, and properly allocating pollution reduction goals to those areas identified as likely pollution sources. Successful restoration and protection outcomes are dependent on successful community building and ownership of both the problems and solutions identified in the WRAPS.
Eight locations will be monitored in support of the Vermilion Community College (VCC) Surface Water Assessment Grant (SWAG). Water samples, field measurements, field images / pictures, and other measurements and observations will be obtained at each location during each sampling event.
The goal is to develop the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) and a public and stakeholder participation process that encourages local involvement in water quality discussions and solutions, identifying impaired waters, developing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs); and planning, setting priorities, and implementing the WRAPS recommendation to restore impaired waters. Phase II of the WRAPS will consists of developing TMDLs for the impaired reaches as well as developing the final WRAPS document and implementation planning.
Archival newspaper storage boxes were purchased to rehouse the Verndale newspaper collection at the Wadena County Historical Society. The newspapers were sorted by oldest dates to newest dates on top. Labels were put on the boxes to identify the contents of each. The newspaper collection is now in better storage conditions than prior to the project.
Because of an increase in the number of donated items as well as an increase in museum visitors, the Lac qui Parle Historical Society determined to upgrade the security system. Nine high-resolution cameras, a monitor and a digital recorder were installed to increase the security of the Historical Society's holdings.
A documentary-type retrospective video was produced featuring the Minnesota Newspaper Museum at the 2010 Minnesota State Fair. More than eight hours of footage was filmed and used to produce the 15 minute DVD. The final product explains letterpress printing from start to finish including segments on the Linotype, Page Composition, the press, job shop and finally, a section on the editorial/news function of a newspaper. The final section also stresses the importance of newspapers, yesterday and today, in a democratic society.
Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment raises revenue for Clean Water, Outdoor Heritage, Parks and Trails, and Arts and Cultural Heritage. Libraries are beneficiaries of a portion of the Arts and Cultural Heritage Funding.
Minnesota’s 12 regional public library systems, which encompass 350 public libraries in all areas of the state, benefit from a portion of the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Through State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, each regional public library system receives a formula-driven allocation from the annual $3 million Minnesota Regional Library Legacy Grant.
Ramsey County is the smallest, most densely populated county in the state of Minnesota consisting of primarily urbanized land use. Ramsey County's water resources provide the industrial base, drinking water, and recreational opportunities for over one-half million people on a daily basis. The major environmental problems that Ramsey County lakes and streams face can be traced to the effects that urbanized land use has on these natural resources.
Washington County seeks to preserve the ecological integrity of the St. Croix River by completing a 85-acre permanent conservation easement to protect critical riparian habitat and over one mile of shoreland. The property is located in Denmark Township within the state-managed portion of the St. Croix Scenic Riverway and is one of the remaining large lots along the lower St. Croix River. It provides a critical connection needed to create a continuous corridor of forested bluff lands and ravines.
This provides a project manager to work with regulated parties to identify new or more efficient ways of meeting standards at wastewater treatment facilities (municipal and industrial).
This program supports communities as they plan and implement projects that address emerging drinking water supply threats. It supports the exploration cost-effective regional and sub-regional solutions, leverages inter-jurisdictional coordination, and prevents overuse and degradation of groundwater resources.
Activities in this program provide metro communities with:
The DNR provides technical support related to the causes of altered hydrology and watershed management solutions. We use state-of-the-art models and statistical methods to look at cumulative impacts of drainage and land-use practices and determine the benefits of best management practices. This involves collaboration with multiple partners at multiple scales.
DNR regional clean water specialists and area hydrologists work with regional staff from other state agencies and with local partners to help identify the causes of pollution problems and determine the best strategies for fixing them. We collect and analyze stream channel stability and streambank erosion data to help identify root causes of certain water quality impairments in streams.
The Watershed Health Assessment Framework (WHAF) is a web-based tool for resource managers and others interested in the ecological health of Minnesota's watersheds. The framework uses five ecological components to organize and deliver information about watershed health conditions in Minnesota. The five components are hydrology, connectivity, biology, geomorphology, and water quality. Statewide GIS data from DNR and partner agencies are used to calculate health scores that reveal similarities and differences between watersheds.
This project delineates and maps watersheds (drainage areas) of lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands for the state of Minnesota and provides watershed maps in digital form for use in geographic information systems. These maps become the basis for clean water planning and implementation efforts.
As Best Management Practices (BMPs) such as rain gardens and infiltration swales begin to be implemented in Chisago County, most people don't understand what they are and what their purpose is. With the dual goals of treating stormwater runoff and educating the public, the SWCD applied for and received a Clean Water Fund grant to implement several pre-designed BMPs at
The Watonwan Watershed Technician will provide highly focused targeting of conservation programs and practices. The technician will enhance current staff capabilities in the Watonwan watershed by collecting landowner contact information from previous studies and GIS methods, produce mass mailings about funding opportunities, and meet one-on-one with landowners to discuss their conservation concerns. The technician will implement 45 projects/practices over a three year period.
In conjunction with the Watonwan Major Watershed Project engagement process, create a contact strategy for community/landowner opportunities, obstacles, and opinions on land management and water quality that will result in the identification of restoration and protection strategies for the Watonwan River watershed.
Develop a network of informed citizens, business people, community leaders and others capable of acting collectively to get work done in a sustained, strategic and meaningful way through a sense of shared ownership in the water resource management process.
