The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources recently chose 101 proposals, totaling about $120.4 million, for further funding consideration. The commission originally received 217 proposals totaling about $183 million for funding in 2018. The commission will need to cut the list down further as $45.7 million is expected to be available for projects starting next year.

The commission recommends projects to the Minnesota Legislature for grants from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund, funded by the Minnesota Lottery and investment income. The commission scheduled proposal presentations for this week and next. It expects to adopt its final recommendations by the end of 2017.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the local Missouri River Basin work group are recommending a number of actions to restore and protect water bodies in the Missouri River Basin in southwest Minnesota. Generally, most streams and lakes in the basin fail to support swimming or fishing. Stream bank erosion and stormwater runoff degrade water quality with sediment that clouds the water, excess nutrients that grow algae, and bacteria that can make the water unsafe for swimming. These pollutants are also harmful to fish and other aquatic life.

The basin includes the headwaters of the Upper Big Sioux, Lower Big Sioux, Rock, and Little Sioux rivers. These watersheds lie in portions of six counties: Lincoln, Pipestone, Murray, Rock, Nobles and Jackson. Leaving Minnesota they flow into Iowa and South Dakota. Leaving Minnesota they flow into Iowa and South Dakota. Agriculture dominates land use, with 80 percent in row crops and 11 percent pasture.

The MPCA and local partners have identified a number of restoration strategies, as recommended in two reports that are open for public comment through Oct. 25:

• The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), which establishes the amount of each pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards, and allocates reductions to different sources of pollutants.
• The Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS), which identifies strategies for restoring and protecting water quality in the watershed.

In the Missouri River basin, recommendations include buffers along shoreland, stabilized stream banks, and stormwater control projects. Agricultural practices include greater use of cover crops, prevention of over-grazing of stream banks by limiting cattle access, minimum or no tillage, temporary storage of water, and greater crop diversity.

Many groups are participating in restoration and protection efforts, including watershed districts, soil and water conservation districts, cities and several state and local organizations. Individuals are always encouraged to get involved.

The MPCA encourages those interested in the Missouri River Basin to review and provide feedback on the reports. Comments on the reports should be submitted in writing by 4:30 p.m. Oct. 25, to Mark Hanson, MPCA, 504 Fairgrounds Rd., Marshall, MN 56258, or sent by email to mark.hanson@state.mn.us.

Written comments must specify which report you are commenting on, include a statement of your interest in the report, and the action you wish the MPCA to take, including specific references to sections of the draft report you believe should be changed. You must state the specific reasons for your position.

The MPCA recently released its proposed changes to Minnesota rules that are meant to protect wild rice from certain types of pollution.

The proposed rule changes take into account the newest evidence about how sulfate and sulfide affect wild rice. Peer-reviewed agency research begun in 2011 found that:

• Sulfate in wild rice waters enters the sediment in which wild rice is rooted, and bacteria convert it into sulfide.
• Higher levels of sulfide in the sediment create an environment that reduces wild rice growth and survival over time.

The existing rule (or standard) limits sulfate to 10 milligrams per liter in water used for the production of wild rice. However, the MPCA’s new research indicates that sulfide in the sediment in which wild rice grows is the pollutant of concern. The proposed rules are designed to limit sulfide to 120 micrograms per liter.

The sediment sulfide originates from sulfate in the water, but certain factors change the rate at which sulfate is converted to sulfide in the sediment. Most significantly, higher levels of iron in the sediment can lead to less sulfide, and higher levels of organic carbon can lead to more sulfide. So while sulfate may create conditions that negatively affect wild rice, no single level of sulfate can be protective of wild rice in all bodies of water.

The rule proposal sets up a process to identify the level of sulfate that is protective for each wild rice water: The MPCA will collect sediment samples in wild rice stands and measure iron and organic carbon concentrations, and then enter the data into an equation to determine the numeric sulfate standard for that wild rice water. The agency will use the wild rice rules to evaluate facilities that discharge to wild rice waters, such as wastewater treatment plants, mines, and industrial facilities, and, over time, determine if they need additional permit limits to protect wild rice.

Public comment period now open

The MPCA is now accepting public comments on the proposed rules. Public hearings on the rule proposal are scheduled at locations around the state between Oct. 23 and Nov. 2. Comments will be accepted until at least five days after the last public hearing. (The final comment deadline is determined by the hearing judge.)

Comments must be submitted to the Office of Administrative Hearings via the web (https://minnesotaoah.granicusideas.com/discussions), by mail (Office of Administrative Hearings, P.O. Box 64620, St. Paul, MN 55164), or in person (600 N Robert St., St. Paul, MN). In your comments, you must include your name and address and identify the portion of the proposed rules you are commenting on, your support of or objection to it, and any change you are proposing.

To view all rule-related information visit: www.pca.state.mn.us/water/protecting-wild-rice-waters.

Did you know the fish and bugs, or biological communities, living within Minnesota’s rivers and streams can tell a story about the quality of the water and habitat within them? Each year the MPCA’s Biological Monitoring Unit samples biological communities from about 200-400 sites on rivers, streams, and ditches throughout Minnesota. These waterways range in size from a few feet wide to large main-stem waterways, such as the Mississippi or Minnesota river. So, how are the biological communities sampled, and what can they tell us?

Fish are sampled once per site from June through September, using electrofishing methods where an electric current is placed into the water, temporarily stunning any fish within range of the current.   MPCA crews use a net to collect the fish, regardless of size, from the smallest minnows to the largest game fish, and then place them into a tub of water. Fish are separated by species, and counted, measured, weighed and released back into the stream. Depending on stream width and depth, a variety of electrofishing methods are used to maximize sample efficiency and quality. For small streams, a sampler walks through a stream carrying a shocker wand and backpack that houses a battery. For large rivers, samplers use boats with shocking equipment attached.

Bugs, or macroinvertebrates, are sampled once from August through September at the same locations where fish are sampled. A specialized net is used to take 20 individual samples from the most dominant habitat types: rocky areas, instream vegetation, undercut banks, woody debris, and/or and piles of leaves in the stream. The macroinvertebrates are placed in a jar with alcohol to preserve the sample and brought to a laboratory for identification.

Fish and macroinvertebrates are a great indicator of stream health because some species are sensitive to disturbances. This sensitivity allows biologists to assess where issues may exist based on the communities present. For example, some fish are very tolerant of low dissolved oxygen levels while others are extremely sensitive to low dissolved oxygen levels. Looking at biological samples, habitat assessments, and water chemistry samples can provide a good picture of the stream health. Examples of potential problems may include low dissolved oxygen, high sediment concentrations, agricultural or industrial runoff, or lack of habitat. The information gathered can guide watershed partners to restoration or protection efforts.

For more information:

• Biological monitoring lead Tony Dingmann at anthony.dingmann@state.mn.us or at 218-316-3914
• Biological monitoring webpage on the MPCA website

Gov. Mark Dayton will wrap up his town hall meetings next week as part of his "25 by 25" clean water initiative, which aims to improve water quality in Minnesota by 25% by 2025. The meetings offer Minnesotans an opportunity to discuss the water quality challenges facing their communities and our state, learn from experts, and engage with policymakers. The meetings build on the momentum from Dayton’s “25 by 25” Water Quality goal proposal, announced earlier this year.

The final town hall meetings will be Oct. 4 at Diamondhead Education in Burnsville and Oct. 5 at Stillwater High School. Registration will open at 6 p.m. with the meetings running 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Chippewa 10% Project, called “C10%,” strives to increase continuous living cover in the Chippewa River watershed by 10%, from 24 to 34%. By the numbers, that means increasing living cover from 320,000 acres to 453,000 in this west-central Minnesota watershed of 1.33 million acres. This project consists of several partners working to improve water quality while engaging the community to find local approaches that also support farm profitability.

Continuous living cover can consist of perennial plants or a careful overlapping of annual and cover crops. This strategy is a proven way to reduce runoff while improving soil health.

For the Chippewa watershed, living cover will also mean decreasing pollutants in water resources. The Chippewa River Watershed Project operated five water quality and flow monitoring stations from 1998-2012. These stations monitored streams in five different sub-watersheds. Each area differed in land use. The water monitoring found correlations between land use and water quality. Based on the monitoring data and research, the partners determined that increasing living cover by 10% would decrease nitrogen and total suspended solids enough to meet local water quality goals.

The C10% is based on the idea that rural landscape changes begin with farmers and landowners, and include the entire community. Its partners work together to find locally driven solutions. The partners engage with farmers and their communities through various initiatives.

One initiative is the Cover Crop/Soil Health Network. Farmers and ranchers in the Chippewa River watershed are monitoring their soil’s response to cover crops and experimenting with different species, planting methods and timing. Network members meet each winter to talk about what they tried, what worked and didn’t, and generate new ideas. They also meet annually with soil scientists to examine soil test results and what they reveal about each farm.

The MPCA has played an important role in developing C10%. Starting in the late 1990s and continuing today, MPCA and federal grants were critical to establishing the Chippewa River Watershed Project, one of the founding partners. These grants, along with technical and logistical support from MPCA staff, developed the water monitoring that formed the basis for C10%. This in turn has led to increased interest and funding from other partners.

For more information, see the Land Stewardship webpage on the project.