Waterfront Bulletin for October 2016: Funding, trout streams and more

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Waterfront Bulletin

October 2016

Lessard-Sams to recommend $103 million for 34 proposals

Legacy Amendment

The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council decided at its Sept. 29 meeting to recommend $103.3 million in funding for 34 proposals to the 2017 Minnesota Legislature. The council makes annual recommendations to the legislature on appropriations from the Outdoor Heritage Council, which is funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

With the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources receiving $150,000 each for restoration evaluations and contract management, along with $571,000 for the council’s administrative budget, the funding recommendations total $104.1 million.

The council received a total of 44 requests totaling more than $317 million in funding for 2017-18, far exceeding the $100 million expected to be available for projects.

Proposals making the final cut range from $600,000 for the Wild Rice Watershed District’s Goose Prairie Marsh Enhancement Project in Clay County to nearly $10.4 million to continue the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources program, Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM), to restore wetlands.

Visit the Minnesota’s Legacy website for more information about environmental funding in Minnesota.


MPCA loan program continues with $3.45 million going to sewer upgrades, water retention

SSTS

The Clean Water Partnership Loan Program recently awarded $3.45 million in low-interest loans to four local partners to reduce pollution by upgrading subsurface sewer treatment systems (SSTS) and implementing best management practices (BMPs) in their watersheds. 

  • Pine County received $600,000 to provide low-interest loans to implement 20 SSTS upgrades each year for three years in Pine County, resulting in bacteria load reductions and estimated annual reductions of 50 pounds of phosphorus and 200 pounds of nitrogen.
  • The Lac qui Parle-Yellow Bank Watershed District received $500,000 to fund low-interest loans to implement up to 45 SSTS upgrades in Lac qui Parle County, resulting in estimated annual reductions of 210 pounds of phosphorus, 14 tons suspended solids, 5,060 pounds of biological oxygen demand, and 675 pounds of nitrogen.
  • The Crow River Organization of Water (CROW) received $1.35 million to fund low- interest loans to implement 115 SSTS upgrades, resulting in an estimated annual reduction of 339 pounds of phosphorus, 7,566 tons of sediment, 13,696 pounds biochemical oxygen demand, and 834 pounds of nitrogen.
  • The Cedar River Watershed District received $1 million for its capital improvement project. This project will assist in implementing 25 fixed structures, which will be designed to trap, treat and store rain events as a means of reducing sediment, phosphorus and to a lower extent nitrate delivery to the Cedar River and its tributaries. This project will result in an estimated annual reduction of 112 pounds of phosphorus, 112 tons of sediment, and 15 pounds of nitrogen.

The Clean Water Partnership program continues to accept applications from local governmental units interested in loan funding to lead a nonpoint source pollution control project for protection or restoration of Minnesota water bodies.  Applications can be made at any time, and more than $5 million of low-interest loan funding is available.

The Clean Water Partnership Loan Program Request for Proposals can be found on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) website.  The application and related information will be accepted through an email address listed in the RFP.


Zumbro watershed: Most trout streams faring well, but sediment and other stressors in many areas

Zumbro River stressor ID work by MPCA

Fish and other aquatic life are faring well in most trout streams in the Zumbro River watershed, but there are water quality issues to work on throughout this area in southeast Minnesota, according to an MPCA study.

The agency recently posted a stressor identification report for streams in the watershed on the following problems for fish and other aquatic life:

  • Habitat
  • Total suspended solids (TSS)
  • Nitrate
  • Temperature
  • Dissolved oxygen and eutrophication
  • Flow alteration and connectivity

The most common stressor was lack of habitat, with sediment clouding the water (as measured by Total Suspended Solids) a closely related problem. High nitrate levels, which can be toxic to fish and bugs, were also common throughout the watershed, along with changes to the way water flows and obstacles to fish migration. In a few stream sites, high water temperatures and low dissolved oxygen levels were stressing aquatic life.

The Zumbro watershed spans 1,422 square miles in Rice, Steele, Goodhue, Dodge, Olmsted, Wabasha and Mower counties. It flows northeasterly and joins the Mississippi River near Kellogg. This watershed is home to the growing city of Rochester and the famous Mayo Clinic.

The MPCA considers streams to be biologically impaired when they support less diversity and fewer numbers of fish and bugs than they should. In the Zumbro watershed, the agency identified a total of 28 streams as impaired for biology. Of those, there were 21 streams with macroinvertebrate or bug impairments, 4 with fish impairments, and 3 with both fish and bug impairments.

The conditions stressing aquatic life are largely tied to land use activities in the watershed. Some sediment issues are related to poor riparian area management, while others are more systemic. Watersheds that have a high degree of human alterations seem most at risk for not only habitat and suspended sediment, but nitrate issues as well. Overall, the stressors will need to be addressed in various ways depending on the location in the watershed.

For the Zumbro River and its tributaries, three high priority strategies to improve fish and bug conditions are:

  • Focus on reducing sediment eroding from areas along streams, such as cattle pastures, and directly from streambanks. Erosion from streambanks often occurs because of increased flows from cropland drainage and more frequent storms.
  • Re-establish high-quality habitat along streams, planting native vegetation such as trees and tall plans to hold soil in place and reduce erosion; shade the water and help keep the water cooler; and increase woody debris used by fish and bugs for many purposes.
  • Plant cover crops, better manage nutrients from fertilizer and manure, and implement other practices to reduce nitrate levels.


EPA approves TMDLs for Twelve Mile Creek, Coon Creek watersheds

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the following Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) reports:

  • Twelve Mile Creek dissolved oxygen impairment. Increasing dissolved oxygen levels in this tributary to the North Fork Crow River in central Minnesota will require reducing the nutrient load from its headwater, Little Waverly Lake, and concentrating flow through wetlands areas of the creek. Managing manure better, reducing erosion, and better controlling phosphorus in the lake bottom are ways to reduce the nutrients coming from Little Waverly Lake. Increasing the flow will require engineering low-flow channels through the wetlands.
Coon Creek watershed in Anoka County

  • Coon Creek Watershed District. Several streams in in this metro watershed are impaired for aquatic life and high levels of E. coli bacteria. Stream bank erosion and stormwater runoff are having a negative effect on the watershed’s water quality. Urban development and agricultural activities in the watershed have resulted in runoff that carries excess phosphorus, sediment, and bacteria into bodies of water. Restoration strategies include installing buffers of plants along shoreland, stabilizing stream banks, and implementing stormwater-controls.


Mississippi River Forum: Update on ‘State of the River’

The upcoming Mississippi River Forums will focus on the updated “State of River,” a report on the health of this mighty river. At the Nov. 4 and Dec. 9 forums, Lark Weller of the National Park Service and Trevor Russell of the Friends of the Mississippi will talk about the important trends and emerging issues impacting the health of the river, as well as potential solutions.

The forums will be held 8-9:30 a.m. Nov. 4 at the St. Cloud city council chambers and Dec. 9 at the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis. There is no fee to attend but an RSVP to Lark Weller at the National Park Service is requested.


Watershed Professionals Network to meet Nov. 10 in Mankato

MPCA’s fall Watershed Network for the Minnesota and Crow rivers will meet Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Pizza Ranch in Mankato. Topics being planned include:

    • A One Watershed, One Plan governance strategy: Tim Gieseke, Ag Resource Strategies
    • Panel: Water quality professional emeritus’ perspectives: Bob Finley (MPCA) and Chris Hughes (BWSR)
    • “A day in the life’ of independent crop consultants”: Steve Sodeman
    • Updates: Minnesota River Congress, Smithsonian Water/Ways, Governor’s Year of Water Action initiative

      At the previous 14 meetings partners have enjoyed a wide variety of interesting and informative topics. As always, the events provide a great opportunity to network and meet informally with water quality colleagues. If you have ideas for topics please contact Forrest Peterson, MPCA public information officer, at 320-441-6972 or forrest.peterson@state.mn.us.


      Minnesota River Congress to meet Nov. 17 in Mankato

      Following six regional meetings in August and September, the 7th Minnesota River Congress will take place Thursday, Nov. 17 at the Kato Ballroom, 200 Chestnut St., Mankato. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with a networking fair. A meal will be served at 6:15 p.m. At 7 p.m. Scott Tedrick will give a presentation on the Granite Falls whitewater park plan, followed by the Congress business meeting at 7:30 p.m. The agenda includes the presentation of the policy collection process to date, receiving any new policy submissions, discussion for each policy and potential modification considerations, and vote to prioritize the top four or five or incorporation into a public policy statement. At 8:45 p.m. there will be Interest Network Team reports and updates. The congress will adjourn at 9:15 p.m. For more information contact Scott Sparlin at 507-276-2280 or sesparlin@gmail.com.


      In the news and online: Taking water action and new newsletter on stormwater