BWSR Snapshots; Drinking Water Grants: Clean Water Council Update

Minnesota Clean Water Council sent this bulletin at 03/02/2023 07:00 AM CST

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Monthly BWSR Snapshots

The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) has issued its latest monthly Snapshots.

Kittson SWCD Grows Soil Health Program via Incentives, Outreach: Kittson County farmers are trying soil health practices through the SWCD’s flexible incentive program, and through a demonstration project whose partners include General Mills, the University of Minnesota and American Crystal Sugar.
Faribault County cover crop trials spark some permanent conversion: In Faribault County, 13 farmers incorporated 800 acres of cover crops into their corn-and-soybean operations for the first time with an incentive from a demonstration grant and
technical support from soil and water conservation district staff. This was also featured in AgWeek in a separate article.
In Meeker County, Outreach Funds Boost MN CREP Awareness, Sign-ups: Meeker County landowners have enrolled 30 MN CREP easements totaling nearly
1,100 acres since MN CREP launched in May 2017.

Photo credit: Ann Wessel, BWSR

Read Snapshots

Upcoming Meetings & Project Updates

Upcoming Meetings

Full Council: The next meeting is Monday, March 20th (topics: TBD) at the MPCA offices in St. Paul with Webex capability. The packet from the February 27th meeting (topics: strategic planning exercise; WRAPS update) has been posted at our web site.

Policy Committee: The next meeting is Friday, March 24th via Webex only. (Topics: TBD.) The packet from the February 24th meeting (topics: State's Climate Action Framework, groundwater follow-up) has been posted at our web site.

Budget & Outcomes Committee: The next meeting is Friday, March 3rd (topics: report from Minnesota Geological Survey; microplastics update; MAWQCP update) and is on Webex only. The packet from the February 3rd meeting (topics: Recent Clean Water Fund grants from BWSR; SSTS Annual Report; Performance Report.) has been posted.

Meetings at MPCA have WebEx capability for on-line viewing. Contact us for details. NOTE: WebEx recordings are moving to a new server. We will only have on-demand access to archived WebEx recordings for the previous six months.

Updates on Projects Supported by the Clean Water Fund

Redwood River Watershed - TMDL/WRAPS Report: The MPCA has issued a draft Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy and Total Maximum Daily Load Report for the Redwood River. Comments are invited through public notice until March 23rd.

Smart Salting for Community Leaders Workshop: Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership and We Are Water MN are partnering with the MPCA to offer a free virtual 2-hour Smart Salting for Community Leaders workshop. Learn about the impacts of chloride and find out specific action steps for policy changes that reduce salt pollution in your community. The workshop is March 9th, 11:00 – 1:00 pm and is virtual. This workshop is geared for: City administrators, superintendents, and other organizational leadership; City council members, county commissioners, tribal council members, and other elected officials; members of sustainability and environmental commissions; board members of housing associations, neighborhood associations, or watershed districts; and other community leaders.

We Are Water MN opens in Becker, MN: We Are Water MN will be on display at the Sherburne History Center March 2-April 24. It is hosted by the Mississippi River – St. Cloud Watershed Collaborative, a partnership of natural resource managers from Counties, SWCDs, and the Clearwater River Watershed District. They hope to communicate the importance of water to residents of the Mississippi River St. Cloud Watershed and engage people in the development of their comprehensive watershed management plan. An opening reception will be held Thursday, March 2 from 4-6 p.m.

Other Relevant Water News

Pesticide General Permits - Wastewater Permit (commentinput.com): The MPCA's Intent to Reissue NPDES/SDS Pesticide General Permit is open for public comment through March 23, 2023.

News Release: Lucky dog’s well rescue serves as reminder of importance of sealing unused wells; Well sealing is supported by the Clean Water Fund through the Department of Health's Source Water Protection grants and BWSR's Projects and Practices drinking water grants.

Local wells have some of Minnesota's highest arsenic levels in drinking water. Is there a fix? (dl-online.com): "For towns and rural homeowners in northwest Minnesota, a proposal gaining traction may offer a long-term, cost-effective solution for dealing with water quality issues, including arsenic."

Rush Creek fish kill likely caused by manure, pesticide runoff, MPCA says (startribune.com)

Waterline: Spring 2023 - MN Dept. of Health: MDH's Drinking Water Protection Program's newsletter is out.

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. The key to clean water? Wastewater treatment plants | Boreal Community Media: The MPCA highlights the benefits to water quality during the last half-century of wastewater treatment plants.

Source Water Protection Grants Available

1. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has a new grant opportunity that will be available on March 1, 2023 to all community and nontransient noncommunity public water supply systems who have a Source Water Protection Plan. Source water protection plans are either, 1) wellhead protection plans that have been approved by MDH under requirements of Minnesota Rules Parts 4720. 5100 to 4720.5590, or 2) MDH approved wellhead protection action plans, or 3) surface water intake protection plans that have been endorsed by MDH.

The purpose of this funding is to help public water suppliers implement source water protection measures included in their MDH approved or endorsed plan. These grants do not require a cost share. The minimum grant amount is $1,000 and the maximum grant amount is $10,000.

Deadline for applications is 4:30 p.m. March 31, 2023.

2. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has a new grant opportunity that will be available March 1, 2023 to noncommunity transient public water systems. The purpose of this funding is to support measures that address a potential contamination source that presents a high risk to a source of drinking water as determined by MDH.

An equal cost share is required for receiving this grant. The minimum amount for any grant is $250 and the maximum amount is $10,000.

Deadline for applications is 4:30 p.m. March 31, 2023.