Vegetated buffer and filter strips along waterways is a practice that addresses many surface water concerns. Establishing permanent vegetation along waterways is an implementation priority in the Blue Earth County Water Management Plan and required by local ordinance and Minnesota Rules.
Ravine, stream bank and bluff erosion contribute significant amounts of sediment to rivers and streams. The MPCA report, “Identifying sediment sources in the Minnesota River Basin,” found the Blue Earth and Le Sueur watersheds contribute as much as half of the sediment to the Minnesota River, even though they account for only one-fifth of its drainage area.
This project will utilize a systematic approach to identify principal sources, or “hot-spots”, of sediment contributions and work with individual landowners, county drainage officials, and municipalities to coordinate and implement critical Best Management Practices (BMP’s), establish demonstration sites, and provide education and outreach efforts.
This TMDL project will develop a TMDL Report and Implementation Plan defining the sources contributing to the impairments and outlining the steps necessary to bring Bluff Creek back to meeting water quality standards.
This project will develop a Final TMDL report and Implementation Plan for the Bluff Creek Watershed. The main outcomes of this project are the development of a Final TMDL Report approved by MPCA and EPA and a Final Implementation Plan approved by MPCA.
This project will set water quality goals for the Minnesota portions of the watershed, recommend allocations for achieving total maximum daily loads where waters do not meet Minnesota state standards and are listed as impaired, and recommend management strategies for those Minnesota waters meeting state standards.
Based on the Minnesota Waters Lake and River Association database, Crow Wing County has the highest number of lake associations in Minnesota. Currently, there are over 136 lake association groups in the county, which does not include neighborhood, resort or religious groups.
This project will work in cooperation with individual volunteers to perform grab samples and visual assessments of four waterbody sites in Brown County. The data collected will be an educational tool to inform the County’s citizens about water quality concerns.
This project will further assess the water quality within Brown County by monitoring its rivers, streams, ditches and other waterbodies. This project will also be working in cooperation with individual volunteers to perform grab samples and visual assessments of seven waterbodies throughout Brown County.
Brown’s Creek is the namesake of Brown’s Creek Watershed District (BCWD) and a designated metro trout stream. But in recent years the stream hasn’t been home to as many trout and cold‐water insects as we would hope. The creek is too warm and too muddy.
Multiple water courses in the Buffalo River - Red River Watershed District are impaired for turbidity. These waterways include the Red River of the North, Wolverton Creek, Deerhorn Creek, Stoney Creek, South Branch Buffalo River, and the main stem of the Buffalo River.
This project will support the review of all public comments submitted for the Buffalo Creek TMDL and make appropriate edits and changes to the draft TMDL based on MPCA guidance.
The Buffalo River Watershed Pilot Project is one of two pilots in Minnesota designed to develop a watershed approach for managing Minnesota’s surface waters. The goal of this project is to develop a plan that will guide surface water quality management throughout the watershed.
Erosion is a serious water quality issue found throughout the Buffalo-Red River Watersheds rivers and tributaries. Excessive erosion occurs in the beach ridge area where the land naturally has excessive slopes. The beach ridge area consists of sand and gravel deposited by wave action along the shoreline of Lake Agassiz at various times as the lake level rose and fell.
These funds are for projects and activities (such as ordinances, organization capacity, and state of the art targeting tools) that complement, supplement, or exceed current state standards for protection, enhancement, and restoration of water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams or that protect groundwater from degradation.
Individual reports are published for each of the awarded grantees.
Funds are to be used to protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers and streams and to protect groundwater and drinking water. Activities include structural and vegetative practices to reduce runoff and retain water on the land, feedlot water quality projects, SSTS abatement grants for low income individuals, and stream bank, stream channel and shoreline protection projects.
Grants Funds are to be used to protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers and streams and to protect groundwater and drinking water. Activities include structural and vegetative practices to reduce runoff and retain water on the land, feedlot water quality projects, SSTS abatement grants for low income individuals, and stream bank, stream channel and shoreline.
Funds are to be used to protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers and streams and to protect groundwater and drinking water. Activities include structural and vegetative practices to reduce runoff and retain water on the land, feedlot water quality projects, SSTS abatement grants for low income individuals, and stream bank, stream channel and shoreline
Funds are to be used to protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers and streams and to protect groundwater and drinking water. Activities include structural and vegetative practices to reduce runoff and retain water on the land, feedlot water quality projects, SSTS abatement grants for low income individuals, and stream bank, stream channel and shoreline protection projects.
Funds are to be used to protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers and streams and to protect groundwater and drinking water. Activities include structural and vegetative practices to reduce runoff and retain water on the land, feedlot water quality projects, SSTS abatement grants for low income individuals, and stream bank, stream channel and shoreline protection projects.
These funds are for pilot projects to retrofit existing drainage systems with water quality improvement practices, evaluate outcomes and provide outreach to landowners, public drainage authorities, drainage engineers, contractors and others.
