Waterfront Bulletin for June 2018: Funding proposals advance, bonding bill passed

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Waterfront Bulletin

June 2018

Commission whittling down list of proposals for funding: 110 chosen for presentations

Environmental Trust Fund

The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) recently chose 110 funding proposals for presentations. The commission originally received 273 proposals totaling $191 million for funding beginning July 1, 2019. About $59 million will be available.

On July 17-18, the commission is scheduled to make final selections for funding.  The selected projects will go to the 2019 Minnesota Legislature as the official LCCMR recommendations for spending from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, derived from lottery and investment proceeds.

See the full list of proposals selected for presentation on the LCCMR website.


Bonding bill passes but with controversial measure

The 2018 Minnesota Legislature passed and Gov. Mark Dayton signed a $1.46 billon bonding bill that included $133 million for water infrastructure. The water portion fell short of the $167 million recommended by the governor, Legislative Water Commission and Public Facilities Authority.

The bonding package includes $98 million from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund to pay for state debt service. This fund usually funds research and restoration projects (see article above). This move faced criticism from several entities that said it violated state law and bypassed the commission that recommends how to spend the fund.

Dayton removed only one provision from the bonding bill using his line-item veto power: $1 million for analyzing Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) water regulations, which Dayton called "an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy."

 Look to future Waterfront articles on the status of wild rice legislation and regulatory certainty for wastewater treatment plants.


Open for comment: Studies on Lake Superior-North, Mississippi River-Headwaters and Thief River watersheds

Mississippi River headwaters

Good news for Mississippi River-Headwaters watershed, but forest protection critical

The watershed that includes the iconic Mississippi River Headwaters has very good overall water quality, and forest protection is critical to preserve it, according to two MPCA draft reports. The agency is seeking public comments on the reports through July 5.

This part of the Mississippi River is the healthiest of the entire river length down to the Gulf of Mexico, according to a study of the entire river in Minnesota. This wealth of water resources includes some of Minnesota’s most famous lakes and streams. To preserve its current water quality, forest protection is critical. The watershed is heavily forested with many rare or declining plant and animal species dependent on the aquatic resources and features the watershed provides.

The watershed is located in the northernmost portion of the Upper Mississippi River Basin and covers 1,961 square miles. It includes the Mississippi River headwaters in Itasca State Park and parts of six counties: Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard and Itasca. It is rich in surface water resources with about 685 river miles and more than 1,000 lakes.

According to TMDL report, Little Turtle Lake and Lake Irving in Beltrami County do not meet the state’s water quality standards due to excess amounts of phosphorus that can cause algae. Phosphorus reductions required to attain water quality standards for Little Turtle Lake and Lake Irving are 33% and 57%, respectively. Key strategies to restore these lakes include reducing phosphorus sources, fixing failing septic systems, and in-lake phosphorus treatment.

Resulting from a strong collaborative effort among the MPCA, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, local government partners and other stakeholders, the WRAPS report identified several focused priority areas for water quality protection and restoration.

The two draft reports are available on the MPCA’s Mississippi River-Headwaters Watershed webpage or at MPCA’s St. Paul office, 520 Lafayette Road North. Written comments should be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on July 5 to Phil Votruba, MPCA, 7678 College Road, Baxter, MN, 56425, or by email to, phil.votruba@state.mn.us. For more information, contact Votruba at 218-316-3901, or toll-free at 800-657-3864.

Good news, better news for Lake Superior-North watershed

Nearly all lakes and streams evaluated in the Lake Superior-North watershed meet water quality standards, according to two draft MPCA studies. The MPCA studied 67 streams and 152 lakes in this northeast corner of the state, and only one stream – the Flute Reed River-- failed to support standards. The two reports are open for comment through July 19.

 The Flute Reed River’s sediment levels are higher than allowed under state standards and are impacting clear water and clean gravel stream habitat for trout. The sediment impairs the trout’s ability to capture food and lay eggs, potentially leading to a population decline. For humans, too much sediment reduces the enjoyment for swimming and other aquatic recreation.

Lake Superior-North watershed

The Poplar River, previously listed as impaired due to excessive sediment, is greatly improved after a decade of local landowners’ efforts to tackle stormwater runoff, erosion, and slumping bluffs. As a result, the MPCA is proposing to remove its impaired status.

Four lakes – Deeryard, Poplar, Devil Track and Tom – are showing worsening trends in clarity, but still meet state standards. The remaining assessed water bodies meet all criteria for healthy conditions and are the focus of protection efforts.

Open for comment are the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study and the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) report. They are companion documents that quantify pollutant levels, identify pollution sources, propose ways to return water quality to an acceptable level and describe protection strategies to ensure continued high quality water resources.

A wide array of stakeholders and local partners recommend several restoration and protection actions in the more-developed areas within the watershed. These include culvert inventories and replacement, septic system assessments, replacements and improved management, stream access improvements, streambank and lakeshore buffer improvements, and natural stream channel restoration and stabilizations.

The two draft reports are available on the MPCA’s Lake Superior - North watershed webpage or at MPCA’s Duluth office, 525 Lake Avenue South, Suite 400. Written comments should be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on July 19to Karen Evens, MPCA, 525 Lake Avenue South, Suite 400, Duluth, MN 55802, or by email to karen.evens@state.mn.us. For more information, contact Evens at 218-302-6644.

Thief River watershed: Expanded practices needed to reduce pollution

Two studies by the MPCA and local watershed partners recommend expanded practices to reduce pollution in the Thief River and its tributaries. The draft study reports are available for comment through July 25 at 4:30 p.m.

Much of the land within the watershed is privately owned or publicly managed by federal, state and local agencies for wildlife management and flood water storage. Voluntary best management practices by landowners can reduce pollution and improve water quality for aquatic life and recreation like fish and swimming.

Thief River Watershed: Sediment in Mud River

Research linked the watershed’s water pollution with land alterations and/or runoff:

  • More than 90%of the watershed’s stream sections have been straightened or channelized to promote drainage.
  • Straightening streams impairs habitat, water quality, and fish and aquatic insect communities.
  • A portion of the Mud River is impaired for swimming due to excessive bacteria.
  • The Mud and Moose rivers show low dissolved oxygen levels, which are harmful to fish and aquatic insects.
  • The Thief River, between Agassiz Wildlife Refuge and Thief River Falls, has sediment levels that can make the water too cloudy to sustain fish.

The draft Thief River Watershed TMDL study quantifies the pollutant levels, identifies pollution sources, and proposes source goals to return water quality to an acceptable level. In contrast, the WRAPS report identifies impaired water bodies and those in need of protection, and identifies actions needed to achieve and maintain water quality.

The two draft reports are available on the MPCA's Thief River Watershed webpage or at MPCA’s Detroit Lakes office, 714 Lake Avenue, Suite 220. Written comments should be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on July 25 to Denise Oakes, MPCA, 714 Lake Avenue, Suite 220, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501, or by email to denise.oakes@state.mn.us. She is also available to answer questions by phone, 218-846-8119. More information is available also from Corey Hanson, watershed water quality coordinator for the Red Lake Watershed District, at 218-681-5800 or corey.hanson@redlakewatershed.org.

How to comment

Written comments must include a statement of your interest in the draft TMDL or WRAPS report, a statement of the action you wish the MPCA to take, including specific references to sections of the draft TMDL or WRAPS reports you believe should be changed, and, specific reasons supporting your position.

After receiving public comments, the MPCA will revise the draft reports and submit them to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for finalization. The reports will form the basis for projects and watershed implementation strategies that will follow.


Giant Lego watershed helps teach water science

Allison Bender, GreenCorps member

Likely larger than anything your children have ever built, a giant Lego topographic model of a watershed now lives at Whitewater State Park. The scale model of the Whitewater Watershed in southeast Minnesota measures about 20 square feet and contains more than 26,000 Lego bricks, many of which were donated to the project. The model shows the topography of the region and is color-coded for land use. 

The project was led by Allison Bender, a Minnesota GreenCorps member who's worked at Whitewater State Park for the past year. (Photo: Allison Bender at right, the project lead, with Winona State University's Dylan Blumentritt, who led the mapping efforts for the project, and the completed model.)

Nearly 40 volunteers helped construct the watershed model. Before the building began, many others donated and sorted bricks and helped spread the word about the project. Area Soil and Water Conservation Districts partnered in sponsorship. Volunteers mapped the watershed, converted those maps into a digital “legotized” model, and used that model to generate pictorial instructions for 392 small mosaic sections that volunteers constructed. One volunteer made a custom table for the model, another helped order used bricks online.

The model will help teach people about watersheds and how to the protect the water that flows in them.

When it's not traveling, the model will be housed at Whitewater State Park. Visit the park or stop by the Winona and Olmsted County Stormwater Conservation District booths at their respective county fairs this July to see the model in person.

Check out the video program showing how the model was built on the Friends of Whitewater State Park Facebook page.

Minnesota GreenCorps is an MPCA program that places members with non-profit and government organizations, and focuses on a range of environmental goals.


In the news and online: Lawsuits filed over mining leases, local partners focus on water quality