Waterfront Bulletin for July 2013

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Waterfront Bulletin

July 2013

New law aims to make agencies accountable for clean water

Since voters approved the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment in 2008, the MPCA and other agencies have more funding for water quality. Making the agencies accountable for that funding and its goal of clean water, several environmental groups successfully lobbied this past legislative session for the Clean Water Accountability Act.

This new law aims to ensure that state reports are more specific in identifying all sources of pollution, that state agencies target funding where it can have the most benefit, and that the state report to the public on its progress toward clean water goals.

This new law defines a fairly new approach by the MPCA called WRAPS, which stands for Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies. Over the past few years, the agency has worked to implement a watershed approach to protecting and restoring lakes and streams. Whereas Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)  focused on single impairments in individual lakes and stream segments, WRAPs takes a holistic approach to watersheds as a whole. The MPCA is transitioning from individual TMDLs to WRAPS.

Under the old TMDL approach, the MPCA was able to meet all the EPA requirements, but this approach had several disadvantages, including Inefficiency at all stages of a project. Under the individual TMDL approach, it would have taken a century to assess all the state’s major surface waters.

Now the MPCA is focusing on achieving clean water for Minnesota instead of just meeting the federal TMDL requirements. With the watershed approach, the MPCA can assess the state’s waters more efficiently, saving money and time. The MPCA is currently on track for monitoring all of the state’s 81 major watersheds by 2017. The agency is also collecting more data, informing local plans and decisions, and producing a watershed plan that goes beyond the TMDLs to include timelines for actions.

Under the new law, WRAPS must include the following:

  • A precise assessment of pollution sources and needed reductions, including those from nonpoint sources;
  • Deadlines and milestones for assessing progress;
  • Strategies to put the money where it will have the best result; and
  • A plan for effective monitoring

The Act also requires the state to develop the following:

  • Biennial reporting by the MPCA of progress in achieving pollution reductions; and
  • A nonpoint priority funding plan by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.

Gaylen Reetz, director of the MPCA watershed division, explained the WRAPS approach to the MPCA Citizens Board at its June meeting. View the webcast of the presentation for details, including the tools that the agency uses in developing WRAPS and the finished products.

Minnesota Public Radio also reported on the Clean Water Accountability Act in the finals days of the legislative session. 


EPA, MPCA to fund $3.29 million to restore St. Louis River

St. Louis River

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the MPCA recently announced more than $3 million in funding to help restore the St. Louis River Area of Concern. The EPA will provide $2.19 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds and the MPCA will provide an additional $1.1 million through the Minnesota Clean Water Fund.

The funding will go toward cleanup work within the St. Louis River Area of Concern, one of 38 such areas within the Great Lakes region. The $3 million will be used to assess cleanup options at three sites; develop engineering plans for the restoration of seven sites; evaluate the potential use of dredged river sediment for use in local habitat restoration projects and conduct ecosystem monitoring activities.

"The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is delighted to be working with our federal partners, including EPA, to secure funding to address legacy pollutants, a result of historic practices in the St. Louis River Area of Concern. With the help of our local partners, we are putting finishing touches on a detailed, multi-million dollar cleanup and restoration plan to delist this Area of Concern by the year 2025,” said MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine.


MPCA awards grants for clean water projects

MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine recently approved funding for 16 Clean Water Partnership (CWP) proposals throughout Minnesota. These projects will begin this summer and will continue for three years. The funding totals $1.19 million in grants and nearly $3.5 million in loans for projects that reduce nonpoint source pollution in Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, and streams. Funding is provided by the Minnesota Legislature.

The projects range from $12,000 for a Forest Lake North Shore Subwatershed Assessment in the St. Croix River Basin to $1.05 million in loan funds and $10,000 in grant funds for the Hawk Creek Watershed Nitrogen Reduction Project in the Minnesota River Basin. See the complete awards list on the MPCA website.

Also recently, the MPCA approved $2.27 million in federal Clean Water Act Section 319 funding for 10 projects in Minnesota.  Contingent on the availability of federal funds, these projects will begin this fall and will continue for five years. The projects include $275,000 for development and education, $555,512 for research, and $1.4 million for implementation efforts. The funding ranges from $33,120 to the Heron Lake Watershed District for its Third Crop Phosphorus Reduction Effort to $300,000 each for Reducing Runoff from Southeast Minnesota Feedlots and the Long Prairie River Dissolved Oxygen TMDL Implementation effort. The complete awards list will be posted soon on the Section 319 webpage.

The next CWP and Section 319 funding rounds are scheduled to open this winter. Check the MPCA website for updates.

For more information, contact Peter Fastner at peter.fastner@state.mn.us or 651-757-2349.


Register now if planning on applying for water quality monitoring grants

If planning on applying for MPCA water monitoring grants later this year, be sure to register now with the state online system called “SWIFT.” The Request for Proposal (RFP) process will be switching to the SWIFT e-supplier portal for the 2014 Surface Water Assessment Grants (SWAG) and Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network Sampling Grants (WPLMN).

In order to view 2014 Request for Proposal (RFP) materials and apply for grant funds, applicants are required to have a SWIFT Vendor ID and Supplier Portal Account. Detailed registration directions are available on the  SWIFT e-supplier portal. Applicants should be aware that it can take several days to receive a required Vendor ID from SWIFT and are encouraged to register now. For additional information regarding this application and process, please see this SWIFT message. If you need technical assistance for the SWIFT e-supplier portal, please contact the SWIFT helpdesk line: 651-201-8100, option 1.

For the next funding round, all proposals must be electronically submitted through the SWIFT e-supplier portal. Proposals received after the established deadlines will not be considered. Successful grant recipients will be notified and required to submit a detailed work plan and budget. Please note that the successful execution of these grants by the start of the monitoring season is dependent on adhering to this process and timeline. Additionally, grant recipients must use SWIFT to review and approve, through electronic signature, their final contract and work plan.

The MPCA is responsible for carrying out and overseeing the monitoring of Minnesota’s lakes and streams using Clean Water Legacy funds. The SWAG and WPLMN grants channel these funds to local organizations to assist with these activities. Additional information for both programs can be found at the MPCA’s Surface Water Financial Assistance webpage.


Changes being proposed for Clean Water Partnership rules

The MPCA is starting a “housekeeping” rule-making to correct errors and make clarifying changes to a number of rules. One change being considered is to the process of providing notice of Clean Water Partnership grant availability. Minnesota Rule pt. 7076.0140 currently requires the MPCA to provide notice of the availability of project grants and loans through publication in the State Register. The MPCA is considering changes that will provide for alternative forms of notification, such as through the MPCA’s website or the state’s electronic financial portal (SWIFT). A Request for Comments was published in the April 29, 2013 State Register and proposed rules are expected to be published for public comment later this summer. Register at GovDelivery (check the box at Public Notices and rulemaking – Rulemaking - active projects - Water-Rulemaking:Water-related Housekeeping Amendments) to receive notice of opportunities to review and comment on the proposed changes.  For more information, contact Carol Nankivel (651-757-2597). 


Outdoor council receives $269 million in funding requests

The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council received 56 proposals totaling more than $269 million in funding for its application period that closed June 13. The council, funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, makes recommendations on projects that protect, restore and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat.

According to its request for proposals, the council expects $100 million will be available for funding, far exceeding the $269 million requested. The council will review the requests and make recommendations to the 2014 Minnesota Legislature for funding in fiscal year 2015. The requests range from $100,000, for evaluating habitat restoration projects, to $40 million for accelerated protection of grassland and prairie habitat. The council will spend the next several months hearing presentations on the proposals and deciding on recommendations. 


Study confirms high nitrate levels in southern Minnesota

Cropland a major source of nitrates in waters

The MPCA has released results of its study, “Nitrogen in Surface Waters,” which shows elevated nitrate levels particularly in southern parts of the state.

Concern about nitrate has grown in recent years because studies show that nitrate in surface water is toxic to fish and the aquatic life food chain and potentially harmful to humans in drinking water.

The comprehensive study was conducted to better understand the effect nitrates are having in Minnesota’s surface waters and to identify the nitrate sources and potential reduction strategies. The study shows that primary source of the nitrates (70 percent) is cropland agriculture.

“I believe Minnesota farmers are committed to conservation, stewardship and water quality protection,” MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine said, “but collectively, too much nitrate is ending up in streams and rivers. We have to do better.”

Several Minnesota streams violate standards established to protect potential drinking water sources. Minnesota also contributes to the oxygen-depleted zone in the Gulf of Mexico. That “dead zone” is currently the size of Massachusetts.

The MPCA looked at the extent of nitrate pollution using monitoring results from more than 50,000 stream samples from across Minnesota. In the north, nitrate levels are relatively low; whereas in the southern part of the state, especially south-central Minnesota, nitrate levels are either high or very high.

See the complete media release on the MPCA wesbite for other details or for using in your publications.

The full “Nitrogen in Surface Waters” report is available online. The report also made the news and advocacy websites, including the StarTribune, Austin Daily Herald and Land Stewardship Project


Wetlands report: Still reasons to be concerned

Healthy wetland

While a statewide sampling program found a small increase in wetland acreage in Minnesota in recent years, the Dept. of Natural Resources finds there is still reason to be concerned about these important water resources, according to the report, “Status and Trends of Wetlands in Minnesota: Wetland Quantity Trends from 2006 to 2011.”

The sampling found a net gain of 123 wetland acres, with an increase of 200.4 and a loss of 77.4 acres. However, the additional acres tend to have limited wildlife habitat value. Also, the gain could not be attributed to any obvious cause, raising questions about the permanence of the increase. In addition, some emergent wetlands were converted to cultivated wetlands, which is not technically a loss of wetland acres but does represent a loss of wetland quality.

The report recently made news in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Additional reports and information are available on the MPCA website.


Comments invited on water quality report for Poplar River

The MPCA invites comments Aug. 8 on a water-quality-improvement report for the Poplar River in Cook County in the Lake Superior Basin.

The report, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), focuses on pollution caused by turbidity. Turbidity is caused by suspended sediment, organic material, or dissolved salts and stains that scatter light in the water column and make the water appear cloudy.

Sources of excess sediment entering the Poplar River include near-stream erosion from large slumps and ravines, bluff erosion, land-use activities that change watershed cover, roads and trails, and channelized stormwater runoff.

The TMDL report is part of a nationwide effort under the federal Clean Water Act to identify and clean up pollution in streams, rivers and lakes. A TMDL report is a scientific study that calculates the maximum amount of a pollutant a water body can receive and still meet state water quality standards.

After receiving public comments, the MPCA will revise the draft TMDL report and submit it to the EPA for approval. Following EPA approval of the study, a plan will be developed to reduce pollution throughout the watershed.

The draft TMDL report is available on the MPCA's Public Notices webpage or at the MPCA’s St. Paul office, at 520 Lafayette Road North.

Comments should be mailed to Karen Evens, MPCA, 525 Lake Ave., Ste. 400, Duluth MN 55802, or by email to karen.evens@state.mn.us. For more information, call Evens at 218-302-6644 or 800-657-3864.

Written comments must include:

  1. A statement of your interest in the draft TMDL report;
  2. A statement of the action you wish the MPCA to take, including specific references to sections of the draft TMDL that you believe should be changed; and
  3. Specific reasons supporting your position.

Public notice extended for Byllesby Reservoir report

To enable more time for the public to provide comments, the MPCA has extended the public notice on a water quality improvement report for Byllesby Reservoir.  Comments will now be accepted through July 15.

Located on the Cannon River in Goodhue and Dakota counties, this reservoir is popular for swimming, boating and fishing. Because of sediment, nutrients and other pollutants entering the reservoir, Byllesby suffers from cloudy water and algal blooms that harm fish and wildlife habitat. The lower water quality also decreases recreational opportunities.

The MPCA, with the Cannon River Watershed Partnership, is conducting a study of the reservoir. This study is called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), which is the amount of a pollutant that a water body can accept and still meet state water-quality standards. The study indicates that significant reductions in nutrients will be needed to meet standards specifically for Byllesby. The TMDL draft report is available on the MPCA’s Byllesby Reservoir webpage.

Submit comments, which must be in writing, to Justin Watkins, MPCA, 18 Wood Lake Dr. SE, Rochester, MN 55904 (phone 507-206-2621 or 800-657-3864; email justin.watkins@state.mn.us.


New rules protect lakes, streams from construction runoff

Construction stormwater management

Protecting lakes and streams from construction runoff is the purpose of a statewide permit recently approved by the MPCA Citizens’ Board.

Construction runoff can contain pollutants, such as sediment that fills in lakes and wetlands, nutrients that fuel algal blooms, and chemicals harmful to fish and other life. The volume of runoff can also be a problem. As land is developed with buildings, parking lots and roads, more rainwater and snowmelt are drained to local waters. That increase in flow can erode stream beds and banks, leading to more erosion, habitat loss and other problems. Severe erosion can threaten buildings, roads and bridges.

The general permit for construction stormwater aims to protect lakes and streams in two ways. The first is through temporary practices during construction to manage runoff. The second is through permanent treatment of additional runoff.

Under the new permit, developed sites can no longer discharge the first inch of new runoff downstream. Instead, property owners must allow for rainwater and snowmelt to soak into the ground, such as through rain gardens or porous pavement. If this infiltration is infeasible, then they need to use other techniques, such as green roofs and collection for irrigation, to capture the runoff.

This general permit is part of the MPCA’s program under the federal Clean Water Act and Minnesota law to manage stormwater. When construction site owners and operators apply for coverage under the general permit, they agree to comply with the conditions set in the permit.

For more information:


Video: how to manage concrete waste, sediment-laden water

Concrete waste and sediment laden water are harmful to surface waters. The Minnesota Erosion Control Association offers a short video that provides tips and instructions for proper handling and disposal of excess concrete, and water used for washing concrete tools and equipment. This video also discusses techniques and products available to help remove sediment from water pumped from dewatering small construction sites.


EPA approves TMDLs for Ann River, Lake Osakis watersheds

The EPA approved the TMDL report for the Ann River watershed on June 3 and the TMPD report for the Lake Osakis watershed on June 5. The Ann River Watershed is located in Kanabec and Mille Lacs counties in the St. Croix River Basin. The report focuses on pollution caused by excess nutrients in Ann and Fish lakes, as well as E. coli and biota impairments in the Ann River. The Lake Osakis watershed is located in Douglas and Todd counties in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, with the TMDL focused on impairments in Lake Osakis, Smith Lake and Faille Lake caused by excess nutrients. The MPCA will now work with local partners to develop an implementation plan to restore these impaired waters.


New search tool for lake and stream data

Lake and stream data search tool

The MPCA recently launched a new search tool for information on Minnesota lakes and streams. You may now search by lake, stream, or city name, or by using a zoom feature on a state map.

Choosing a stream segment or lake brings up a “dashboard,” or overview of information on the waterbody and water quality indicators:

  • Water body description and location information;
  • Overall conditions;
  • Biology;
  • Clarity;
  • Recreation use;
  • Fish Consumption Advisory Information; and
  • Links to monitoring stations.

It also lists MPCA actions in the watershed, MPCA contacts, and local government unit contacts. In addition, you can view a map of land use and monitoring sites in the watershed.  

There is also an advanced search feature that provides data and search options for:

  • Technical descriptions such as use classification and ecoregion; 
  • Water monitoring data by station;
  • Water quality assessments;
  • Impairments; and
  • TMDL and Water Restoration and Protection (WRAP) projects.

Be sure to check out this new tool and provide Jennifer Crea at MPCA with any feedback.


From water to waste, Eco Experience features it all

Sustainability Stage

At the Minnesota State Fair this year, the Eco Experience will feature a 20-foot floor map of the Washington-Ramsey Watershed District to help fair-goers learn how watersheds work and how to protect water quality. This feature is one of many at the Eco Experience, which will include a Gen Y Eco Home created by University of Minnesota students, cooking demonstrations of Farm to School recipes, drinking water exhibits, and a recycling display featuring 12,000 aluminum cans. Be sure to check it out Aug. 22-Sept. 13 at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul.


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