 The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) is a voluntary opportunity for farmers and agricultural landowners to take the lead in implementing conservation practices that protect our water. Those who implement and maintain approved farm management practices will be certified and in turn obtain regulatory certainty for a period of ten years.
St. Paul, MN: A new study by the Minnesota State Agricultural Centers of Excellence shows that farmers enrolled in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) had higher profits than non-certified farms. This marks the second year of data highlighting improved financial outcomes.
The “Influence of Intensified Environmental Practices on Farm Profitability” study examined financial and crop production information from farmers enrolled in the Minnesota State Farm Business Management education program. The 64 MAWQCP farms in the study saw 2020 profits that were an average of $40,000 or 18% higher (median of $11,000) than non-certified farms. The 2019 data showed an average of $19,000 or 20% in higher profits (median of $7,000) for certified producers. Other key financial metrics are also better for those enrolled in the MAWQCP, such as debt-to-asset ratios and operating expense ratios.
The Nine Key Element (9KE) framework is being used to guide the implementation of the Milwaukee Basin TMDLs. This strategy and development of these 9KE Implementation Plans is spelled out in the Water Quality Improvement Plan (WQIP). The Southeastern Wisconsin Watershed Trust (aka SWWT, aka Sweet Water), along with numerous municipal, county, regional, and local partners, are working to develop 9KE Watershed Implementation Plans for the greater Milwaukee River Basin region. These are summarized below:
The following Nine Key Element Watershed Restoration plans have been formally approved and can guide implementation:
Sector Team Updates
Grant Applications due April 15
The Targeted Runoff Management (TRM) Grant Program offers competitive grants for local governments for the control of pollution that comes from diffuse sources, also called “nonpoint source (NPS)” pollution. Grants from the TRM Program reimburse costs for agricultural or urban runoff management practices in targeted, critical geographic areas with surface water or groundwater quality concerns.
For more information:
The Milwaukee River Watershed Clean Farm Families is hosting a No-Till Planter Clinic April 8th at Brian Karrels’ Farm Shop, 11am - 2pm. Farmers, Agronomists, and local community members are invited to attend. Your help in getting the word out is also much appreciated. Please let me know if you plan to attend so that I can zoom in on the lunch count.
11am - 2pm (Free Lunch Provided) FEATURING JOE CONDON with Prospect Ag Services: Joe Condon, owner of Prospect Ag Services in Horicon, specializes in planter set-up and repair. Joe will set-up your planter or walk you through on how to do so to help ensure that your planter is working at maximum efficiency. Joe also sells & installs Precision planting products and rebuilds and test corn meters.
Please RSVP with either contact by Monday, April 5th.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Wisconsin announced today, up to $500,000 in funding is available for eligible individuals, local and state government, non-governmental organizations and tribes through the NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. Project proposals are due May 7, 2021.
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Lake Country Clean Waters invites you to join their second quarterly meeting of 2021, Wednesday April 21 at 6pm. This webinar/meeting of lake county community members will be hosted via ZOOM and includes:
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"Naturalizing Shorelines to Prevent Erosion Control and Solutions For When That Isn't Enough": Alan Barrows, Land Resources Manager of Waukesha County
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"Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol: How to Safely Promote Conservation in Your Own Backyard" - Jeanne Scherer, AIS Outreach Specialist and Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Statewide Coordinator for the WI DNR
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"Brief AIS Update" - Sam Lammers, AIS Coordinator for Washington and Waukesha Counties
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Public Input Accepted Through April 30
A draft of the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern (AOC) Remedial Action Plan Progress Summary is now available for public review and comments through April 30, 2021. The draft document is available online here.
This document shares the progress made from May through December 2020 on specific actions or projects that are important for reaching our AOC pollution cleanup and restoration targets, and sets milestones for continued work in the year ahead.
Eleven environmental problems, called beneficial use impairments in the AOC program, were identified for the Milwaukee Estuary AOC, along with management actions to address those problems. Delisting targets are specific goals and objectives established for each impairment, with measurable indicators to track pollution cleanup and restoration efforts. Once all impairments have met their targets and are removed, the Milwaukee Estuary can be removed from the list of Great Lakes AOCs.
The Milwaukee Estuary AOC was designated as one of 43 sites on the Great Lakes with significant environmental damage by the United States and Canada in 1987. Federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, first launched in 2010, helps clean up pollution in AOCs and restore waterways.
We are excited to share the Milwaukee Estuary AOC's progress and present this opportunity for stakeholders and partners to provide feedback in the planning process.
Please provide feedback by April 30, 2021. Send questions and comments to: Brennan Dow, DNR Milwaukee Estuary and Sheboygan River AOC Coordinator Brennan.Dow@wisconsin.gov or 920-366-1371 (cell).
After the DNR reviews public comments, the final RAP Progress Summary will be shared and posted on the Milwaukee Estuary AOC website
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Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water (UNPS & SW) Planning Grant applications for planning projects beginning in 2022 are now available on the Department of Natural Resources’ UNPS & SW webpage.
Cities, villages, towns, counties, regional planning commissions, tribal governments and special purpose lake, sewage, or sanitary districts have until April 15, 2021 to submit applications for 2022 planning projects. UNPS & SW construction grant applications will not be solicited in 2021 but will be solicited again in 2022.
This grant program offers local governments competitive grants to control pollution that is carried by storm water runoff from diffuse urban sources. The grants reimburse costs of planning projects that control this type of pollution. Eligible planning projects include:
- Storm water management planning for urban areas
- Preparation of local ordinances affecting storm water discharge (construction site or post-construction erosion control, pet waste or illicit discharge management)
- Evaluating alternatives for local financing of urban runoff control programs
- Administrative costs for the initial establishment of local storm water management funding programs
- Illicit discharge detection and elimination program planning
- Public information and education activities
UNPS Planning Grant Webinar Recording Available
Thank you to everyone for attending our UNPS-Planning Grant Application webinar on Feb. 18, 2021. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension held this training to provide you with an overview of the UNPS-Planning Grant Program, focusing on the application and eligibility. If you were unable to attend the webinar or would like a refresher, a recording of the webinar is available here: UNPS-Planning Grant Webinar
Questions? Email Joanna Griffin, DNR Runoff Management Grants Program Coordinator, here: joanna.griffin@wisconsin.gov
The following reminder notification was sent out to all MS4 permitted communities on March 11. If you have questions or need assistance with your annual reporting or other permit requirements, please reach out to your local DNR stormwater staff contact.
Annual Reports
The 2020 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Annual Report is due March 31, 2021, and must be submitted electronically. Log in with your WAMS ID at the Water Permit Portal and choose “Storm Water”.
A copy of the 2020 MS4 Annual Report PDF form is available on the Municipal Storm Water eReporting webpage. Municipalities may use this form to route for data collection for the calendar year 2020. We will not accept an uploaded or emailed Annual Report PDF form.
Additional resources, including User Guides and the Delegation of Signature Authority form, can be found on the DNR Municipal Storm Water eReporting webpage.
Storm Water Management Program (SWMP) Documents
General permittees and Madison area (MAMSWaP) permittees are required to submit their storm water management programs to the department and begin implementing any updates no later than March 31, 2021 (ref: WPDES Permit No. WI-S050075-3, section 3; WPDES Permit No. WI-S058416-4, Section 5).
Storm water management program documents describe how the permittee intends to comply with the permit’s requirements for each minimum control measure. A document will need to be submitted separately for each of the programs through the eReporting system. The written storm water management program permit compliance documents can be submitted with the “Annual Report” or “Other” MS4 compliance document options.
Learn more: “What’s due March 31, 2021?!” video tutorial (17 minutes) on what permit compliance documents are due and how to submit them.
See the Municipal Storm Water Permits webpage for more information about MS4 permits.
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from MMSD Blue Notes Newsletter
In most parts of this planet, we find pavement. Our roads, parking lots, and sidewalks are all mostly paved. This is a great approach for transportation and is one of the reasons for our nation’s success.
There is also a downside to this. All this impervious cover has led us to increased flooding and most of our nation’s cities have reached a tipping point. Rainwater cannot infiltrate into the ground, so it flows over land and, during very large storms, floods homes and businesses.
We have even gone to the extreme of lining our rivers with concrete. So, not only do the rivers collect more water from the impervious cover in urban settings, this water then shoots downstream and sometimes causes more flooding. These concrete rivers have eliminated wildlife, straightened what used to meander, and decreased the quality of neighborhoods. Read more...
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Grant Information
WASHINGTON (March 2, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of up to $6 million in grant funding under The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program and The Environmental Justice Small Grants (EJSG) Program.
“These grants are crucial to supporting vulnerable and overburdened communities disproportionately affected by environmental health risks,” said Office of Environmental Justice Director Matthew Tejada. “With renewed leadership to address environmental justice under the Biden-Harris Administration, we are excited to support community efforts to address historically challenging issues.”
EPA will be giving special consideration to the following focus areas:
- Addressing COVID-19 concerns faced by low-income communities and communities of color
- Climate Change and Natural Disaster Resiliency outreach and planning
- New applicants to either opportunity
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Ports Initiative to assist people living and working near ports across the country
- Small non-profits
The EJCPS Cooperative Agreement Program’s total estimated funding for this opportunity is approximately $3,200,000. EPA anticipates awarding two cooperative agreements of $160,000 each within each of the 10 EPA Regions. To learn more about pre-application assistance calls and how to apply for funding, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/environmental-justice/environmental-justice-collaborative-problem-solving-cooperative-agreement-0.
The EJSG Program estimates approximately $2,800,000 will be awarded to approximately five applications per EPA region in amounts of up to $50,000 per award. This includes the EPA’s Ports Initiative program which anticipates funding up to six additional projects that address clean air issues at coastal and inland ports or rail yards. To learn more about pre-application assistance calls and how to apply for funding, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-small-grants-program.
Applicants interested in either opportunity must submit proposal packages on or before May 7, 2021 to be considered for the available funding. Applicants should plan for projects to begin on October 1, 2021.
For more information on environmental justice grants, funding, and technical assistance: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-grants-funding-and-technical-assistance.
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