Upcoming Meetings and Project Updates

Upcoming Meetings NOTE: Seven positions on the Clean Water Council are up for appointment this year by the Governor. See more information at the Secretary of State's office web site. Full Council: The next meeting is Monday, February 26th (topics: Lake de-listings; Performance Report; Watershed Health Assessment Framework for Lakes). The packet from the January 22nd meeting (topics: strategic planning; supplemental budget request for the Clean Water Fund) has been posted at our web site. Policy Committee: The next meeting is Friday, February 23rd. (Topics: private wells; soil health.) The packet from the January 26th meeting (topics: Update on Nutrient Reduction Strategy, private wells) has been posted at our web site.  Budget & Outcomes Committee: The next meeting is Friday, March 1st. (Topics: Ag census results on tillage; Groundwater Protection Rule.) The packet from the February 2nd meeting (topics: Restoration Evaluations, Clean Water Fund Performance Report.) has been posted.

Agricultural Census Data Released

Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases the Census of Agriculture. Among its findings are about land use, which are of particular interest for water quality. 

Highlights for Minnesota: 

• Lands with cover crops increased by 31 percent since 2017 for a total of 760,423 acres, or 4.1 percent of all cropland acres.
• Cropland with conservation or reduced tillage practices (not including no-till) decreased by 333,511 acres or four percent. This category stands at 42.3% of all cropland acres. 
• Cropland on which no-till practices were used increased by 103,650 acres or nine percent. This category stands at 6.4% of all cropland acres.
• Cropland on which conventional or intensive tillage practices were used increased by 74,518 acres or about one percent. This category includes 51.3% of all cropland acres.

Updates on Projects Supported by the Clean Water Fund

Crow Wing County Receives $30,000 Clean Water Fund Grant from BWSR: Crow Wing County will seal abandoned wells.

How socially and culturally diverse Minnesotans value water | University of Minnesota: University of Minnesota research recently published in Society & Natural Resources explores how socially and culturally diverse Minnesotans value water. While some values are universal — safe drinking water, for example — other values and priorities vary by sociocultural identities.

Other Relevant Water News

• Minnesota River needs urgent, basin-wide protection (startribune.com)
• News release: BWSR accepting applications for water storage grants (govdelivery.com)
• [Capitol Region Watershed District] Administrator Doneux Announces Upcoming Retirement

Minnesota Stormwater Seminar Series: On Thursday, February 22nd from 10 a.m. to noon, Dr. Seth Brown, Executive Director, National Municipal Stormwater Alliance; Founder, Storm and Stream Solutions, LLC will present Performance of Stormwater Products and Practices: Why it Matters. This seminar series is a partnership between the University of Minnesota's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and Water Resources Center, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and made possible through the Minnesota Stormwater Research and Technology Transfer Program in collaboration with the Minnesota Stormwater Research Council. The location is in Person (St. Anthony Falls Laboratory) and Online.

MPCA's feedlot permit presentation: The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency held an information session on Monday, January 29th in which MPCA officials explained the state’s feedlot permit program and presented some of their initial ideas for changes to the permits. A link to MPCA’s Jan. 29 presentation is now available. To keep up on feedlot permits and other issues, sign up for MPCA’s Agriculture Stewardship newsletter.

Grant to Forever Green Initiative: The Cargill Foundation has provided a $2.5M, five-year grant to support Forever Green research on the winter oilseeds: winter camelina and domesticated pennycress. The overall goal of the grant is to lift up the nascent winter camelina and pennycress industries. Forever Green is also partnering with Cargill on a winter camelina on-farm pilot this fall, which has resulted in camelina being grown on a couple thousand acres across the region.