|
Note to editors: This is the third of six news
releases featuring clean water projects funded by the Clean Water, Land, and
Legacy Amendment. The amendment was approved by voters five years ago this month. View past news releases at www.pca.state.mn.us.
Willmar, Minn. – As the Yellow Medicine River winds its
course in southwest Minnesota, descending from the prairie couteau to the
Minnesota River near Granite Falls, it curls around an 80-acre field on the
Doug and Lois Albin farm.
The soil is fertile – great for raising abundant yields
of corn and soybeans. But the low-lying ground adjacent to the river often
remained too wet to plant, and was susceptible to erosion. Installing
sub-surface drain tile would improve chances of getting a crop, but it would
also open the door to more nutrients and sediment pollution in the river.
In seeking a win-win solution, the Albins opened their
land to a major project to install the drain tile, but also reduce pollutants
reaching the river. Components of the
project include drainage water management, streambank and outlet
stabilization, woodchip bioreactors, and a more recent tool - saturated buffers.
The expense, both in dollars and technical assistance,
would have exceeded any immediate economic benefit. But with local, federal,
and state assistance, including a grant funded by the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy amendment, the project became an example of what can be done
when property owners, agencies, and the public can achieve by working together.
Thanks to a cooperative effort by the Yellow Medicine Soil and Water
Conservation District (SWCD), state and federal agencies, and other groups, the project has been installed,
buffering the impact of cropland on the river, and providing important data for
wider use.
"I appreciate everybody's
participation," Albin says. "The agencies were very helpful and
willing to work together. This is exciting here, and I hope we can
continue." Along with the Yellow Medicine SWCD, the Department of Agriculture and University of Minnesota
Water Resources Center served as lead co-sponsors, following up on their conservation
drainage focus groups project. While a
majority of the cost was covered by the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment and
other funds, the Albins used their own money to complete the project.
The saturated buffer impacts 12 acres at a cost of
$3,600. The bio-filter impacts 22 acres at a cost of $13,500. All open tile
intakes have been removed from the research field. Fertilizer application is
calibrated and soil grid-sampled, which improves cost-efficiency and can reduce
nitrogen loss. “We’ve got great soils, we just need to learn how to use it
better,” Doug says.
Last February, the Albins were recognized for their cooperation
and effort on the project, receiving the “River Keeper” award from Clean Up the
River Environment, a citizen organization based in Montevideo, where the
Chippewa River flows into the Minnesota River.
More information about crop land research is available at the Minnesota Corn Growers' Association website, on the Discovery Farms webpage of MAWRC, and the Clean
Water Research Program of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Broadcast version
Agricultural production and clean water are the goals of a
project using Clean Water Funds on the Doug and Lois Albin farm near Granite
Falls. The soil is fertile – great
for raising abundant yields of corn and soybeans. But the low-lying ground
adjacent to the Yellow Medicine River often remained too wet to plant, and was
susceptible to erosion. The Albins opened their land to major project to
install the drain tile, but also reduce pollutants reaching the river.
The project includes drainage
water management, streambank and outlet stabilization, woodchip bioreactors,
and a more recent tool - saturated buffers.
The expense, both in dollars and
technical assistance, would have exceeded any immediate economic benefit. But
with local, federal, and state assistance, including funding from the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment, the project became an example of
what can be done when property owners, agencies, and the public can achieve by
working together. More information is available at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website.
###
The mission of the MPCA is to protect and improve the environment and enhance human health.
St. Paul • Brainerd • Detroit Lakes • Duluth • Mankato • Marshall • Rochester • Willmar
www.pca.state.mn.us • Toll-free and TDD 800-657-3864
| 
