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By Britt Gangeness, MPCA Education and Outreach
We Are Water MN is a traveling exhibit and community engagement program that explores Minnesotans’ relationships with water. Dakota County is hosting the exhibit and related programming in partnership with the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District, Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization, Dakota County Library, and Dakota County Parks. In this location, the exhibit explores water challenges Dakota County faces and the ways that local community members are working together to restore and be stewards of the groundwater, rivers, lakes, and wetlands in the area.
Visit the exhibit through December 5 at the Pleasant Hill Library, 1490 S. Frontage Rd, Hastings, MN 55033 and Lebanon Hills Regional Park Visitor Center, 860 Cliff Road, Eagan, MN 55123. See the Dakota County We Are Water MN site for more details and related events.
We Are Water MN Background
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The We are Water MN traveling exhibit has been offered in many locations throughout the state for several years and seen by tens of thousands of visitors. It is a community engagement initiative that explores the science, history, story, culture and relationships of water in Minnesota. It is led by the Minnesota Humanities Center in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; the Minnesota Historical Society; the Minnesota Departments of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources; and University of Minnesota Extension. The program is funded in part with money from the Clean Water, Land & Legacy Fund and by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Upcoming host sites include:
- Sherburne Soil and Water Conservation District (Becker), March 2-April 24, 2023
- Happy Dancing Turtle (Pine River), April 27-Aug. 14, 2023
- The Somali Museum of Minnesota (Twin Cities), June 22-Aug. 14, 2023
- Farmamerica (Waseca), Aug. 17-Oct. 9, 2023
- ArtReach St. Croix and the Stillwater Public Library (Stillwater), Oct. 12-Dec. 4, 2023
If you are interested in becoming a future host site, contact Jennifer Tonko at the Minnesota Humanities Center.
By Luigi Romolo, State Climatology Office
As a climatologist with the DNR, some of the most common questions I’ve been asked this year are: “How does this drought compare to last year’s drought?” or “Is it normal to have consecutive droughts?” or “Isn’t this just one long drought?”
2021 versus 2022
Let’s start by comparing the drought situation of 2021 with what we are seeing this year. Perhaps the biggest difference between last year and this year is that last year the drought encompassed the entire growing season, so it had a much bigger impact on agriculture. Additionally, the drought covered most of the state for a long period of time, affecting just about every impact sector.
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This year, the drought conditions have been more intense in the southern half of the state and the situation did not become serious until late summer and early fall. The two drought situations do have one thing in common — both occurred, at least in part, due to drier than normal conditions from the preceding year. The drought of 2021 really started with drier than normal conditions in the late summer and fall of 2020, while this year’s drought was preceded by the drought conditions from last year.
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So is it two different droughts or one long drought? Certainly, a case can be made that last year’s drought is a different event from this year’s drought. However, when making that case, one needs to remember that a location is never more vulnerable to drought than when it first recovers from a drought. When the National Drought Mitigation Center decides to eliminate drought conditions from a given location, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the soils are now at field capacity and nor does it necessarily mean that lakes are topped off or that streams are at bankfull discharge.
What it often means is that conditions have improved just enough to say that the given location is not experiencing drought. At the point of drought condition removal, soils are typically not yet at normal levels and lakes and streams take longer to fully recover from the effects of the drought. All that being said, a case can also be made that this is one drought event that started in the summer of 2020.
Next year?
Another pressing question is "what about next year?" We are starting to see drought conditions worsen across the state as precipitation shortages in the south are now rivaling what we experienced in the northern half of the state last summer. Unless the state receives abundant precipitation this fall and over the winter, drought conditions across the state are extremely likely come spring time. In the meantime, let’s hope for the best but do our best to conserve water when possible. A drop of water saved today is a drop of water for tomorrow.
Related Resources
The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) is now offering the NFIP 101: Introduction to Floodplain Management course in a virtual, on-demand format. The course was developed by FEMA (and is hosted by ASFPM); it covers floodplain management fundamentals and concepts, much of the same information in Publication 480, NFIP Floodplain Management Requirement: A Study Guide and Desk Reference for Local Officials.
The course can be taken for Continuing Education Credits (CECs), or local floodplain managers can review particular course modules for guidance.
Time: 15 hours of training available
Cost: FREE
CECs: Varies - Up to 12 hours, depending on how much of the training is done
For more information, see the ASFPM On-Demand Learning page for a link to the NFIP 101: Introduction to Floodplain Management course, and other free or low cost on-demand courses.
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The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has had many short extensions since the last five-year extension that expired Sept. 30, 2017. The latest extension was set to expire Sept. 30, 2022. The President signed legislation passed by Congress that extends the NFIP’s authorization to Dec.16, 2022.
FEMA reports that they and Congress have never failed to honor the flood insurance contracts in place with NFIP policyholders. Should the NFIP’s authorization lapse, FEMA would still have authority to ensure the payment of valid flood claims with available funds.
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However, FEMA would stop selling and renewing policies for millions of properties in communities across the nation. Nationwide, the National Association of Realtors estimated in 2017 that a lapse might impact approximately 40,000 home sale closings per month.
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In case you haven't heard, the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) has been offering the Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) exam digitally since September 2021. The exam held at the joint Minnesota Floodplain Managers Association (MnAFPM) and Wisconsin Association of Floodplain, Stormwater and Coastal Management (WAFSCM) in November 2021 was one of the last group paper exams.
ASFPM explains that they now offer the digital CFM exam with their testing partner, Scantron (now Meazure Learning). With this new platform, exam candidates can take the exam at a physical test center or in the convenience of their home or office.
During the first year, there have been 450 digital exams taken by approximately 350 candidates. Nearly 70% of those people passed the exam on their first or subsequent try. The increase in availability means that if someone fails the exam, they don’t have to wait six-months to a year for another national or chapter conference to take the exam. They can usually schedule to take the exam within a few weeks, which provides ample time to study any areas of the exam where they scored poorly (e.g. mapping, mitigation, regulations, etc.)
About the CFM program
This national program for professional certification of floodplain managers was established by ASFPM, and the first exam was offered nationally in 1999. The program recognizes continuing education and professional development that enhances the knowledge and performance of local, state, federal, and private-sector.
For individuals wanting to register for a digital exam, you can sign up here.
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The Minnesota Association of Floodplain Manger's (MnAFPM) annual conference will be Nov. 2-3, 2022 in Duluth. The theme is "A Superior Approach: 20 years of Evolving Floodplain Management."
You won't want to miss all the great presentations, workshops and opportunities to learn from each other, so register now!
- Nov. 2, 2022: workshops and tour
- Nov. 3, 2022: conference
The 2022 conference program is available.
See MnAFPM website to register and see more details.
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Minnesota Floodplain Management Office Hours
Talk with FEMA and DNR Floodplain program representatives during monthly virtual Minnesota Floodplain Management Office Hours. Hours will be 10-11 am, typically on the fourth Thursday of the month (but a few are adjusted).
Upcoming monthly hours (Note: all are 10 - 11 am central time)
Where: Teams. No registration is required. Select a date to get the Teams meeting appointment.
If there is enough interest, these hours may be expanded.
Ongoing FEMA Flood Insurance Office Hours
Do you have questions about flood insurance? Need help understanding coverages, premiums, underwriting or anything else? FEMA Region 5's Flood Insurance Liaison announces monthly Virtual Flood Insurance office hours. If you have a question about flood insurance, FEMA staff will be available the last Friday of every month to help you out. To protect your privacy, breakout rooms will be available to speak one-on-one with an insurance expert.
Topic: FEMA Region 5 Flood Insurance Office Hours
When: The last Friday of the month, 10 – 11 am central time
Where: Zoom. No registration is required. Office hours are on a first come, first served basis. Drop in here.
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FEMA Region 5 staff (based in Chicago, IL) are continuing their monthly one hour virtual training series. They are FREE!
It's not too late to register for many training topics!
Upcoming "Managing your Community's Floodplain" monthly series dates and topics:
Note: All held 9-10 am Central Time.
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Nov. 16, 2022: Community Rating System (CRS); Registration Link
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Nov. 30, 2022: Basement Flooding Mitigation; Registration Link
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Dec. 14, 2022: No Adverse Impact; Registration Link
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Important Dates to Note:
(since September 2022 Water Talk and upcoming in next couple months)
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Preliminary Maps:
- Oct. 4, 2022: Itasca County (corrections)
- Oct. 28, 2022: St. Louis County
- November 2022: Dodge, Chippewa, Morrison and Pope (revised panels) Counties
- January 2023: Wabasha County
Local Officials Meetings & Open Houses
- Wilkin Better Data LOMR Kick off - Nov. 7, 2022, 1-2 pm
- Pipestone Countywide - Nov. 30, 2022
- Rock Countywide - Dec. 1, 2022
90-Day Appeal Periods
- Watonwan County - 7/8 to 10/6/2022; 8/12 to 11/9/2022 for City of Madelia
Letters of Final Determination (LFDs)
Effective (6 months after LFD date)
- Nicollet County - Oct. 13, 2022
- Lake of the Woods County - Oct. 27, 2022
- Koochiching County - Nov. 17, 2022
- Pennington County - Dec. 1, 2022
Additional Map Update Information:
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