Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota
December 30, 2003
2003 in Retrospect
RUNNING BROADER & DEEPER: Like a stream oozing out of
the marshlands, forming a defined channel, then joining other channels to form
a permanent stream, BALMM in 2003 ran broader and deeper as original partners
kept on trucking, and new partners took on additional activities to clean up
the streams and ground water in southeast Minnesota. Here's a review of
progress made over the past 12 months.
SIX NEW PROJECTS SELECTED FOR FUNDING: As 2003 draws to a
close, the MPCA informed six BALMM partners that their projects have been
selected for funding through the 319 program for nonpoint source pollution
control. The main focus was on livestock
and human sources of fecal coliform bacteria, as partners continue collective
efforts to achieve a 65% source reduction as called for in the Regional Fecal
Coliform TMDL. The six projects
included:
SOUTH BRANCH ROOT RIVER WATERSHED
FECAL COLIFORM REDUCTION PROJECT
o This $300,000 project from Fillmore County
will help to jump-start implementation in the watershed that was nominated by
BALMM partners, and selected by Governor Tim Pawlenty, as a pilot watershed for
his Clean Water Initiative (CWI). The goals of the CWI - including a 65%
reduction in fecal coliform sources and a 30% reduction in sediment delivered
to streams - were pro-rated for this three year project. Through careful land
practice surveys, water quality monitoring and watershed modeling, the
effectiveness of three years of intensive implementation will be measured over
the coming three years. Practices
promoted through the grant include feedlot fixes, septic system upgrades (loan
funds), grazing management, manure management, conservation tillage, wetland
restoration and riparian buffers.
Detailed targets for each type of BMP were included in the grant
application.
Three "Open Lot Agreement" Implementation
Projects
o "Designing Feedlot Improvements in
Targeted Areas under the Open Lot Agreement." This $300,000 proposal was
submitted by the Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board, an original BALMM
partner and sponsor of several major fecal coliform-reduction grants. This latest project will provide technical
assistance to eight counties (Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Rice,
Wabasha and Winona) to hire qualified technicians to design simple, low-cost
runoff reduction solutions that producers can construct on their own, in most
cases. It is estimated that with this funding, an additional 12 projects per
county per year, or 288 projects will be completed throughout the 8-county
project area over three years. At a time
of tight local budget, a little funding for each county goes a long way toward
sustaining progress in fixing small feedlots.
o "Cost-Share Incentives for Small Feedlot
Fixes." A new BALMM partner, the Hiawatha Valley RC&D Association,
proposed this $242,000 project. It's modeled on Fillmore County's recent
experience, in which they offered smaller livestock producers up to $1,000 as
cost share to implement their Open Lot Agreement plans. This approach proved successful in
encouraging farmers to implement some of the lower-cost feedlot fixes, in the
$5,000 range. Now, through the 319 grant to Hiawatha RC&D, providing each
of 11 member counties $20,000 to implement a cost-share program for low-cost
fixes (more or less depending on county need and priority). The project
cost-share will provide for implementation of low-cost fixes on an estimated
220 feedlots.
o "Targeted Feedlot Open Lot
Implementation Engineering Assistance." Not all Open Lot Agreement fixes
will be simple and inexpensive - many will require engineering assistance.
That's why the SE SWCD Technical Support Joint Powers Board applied for
$300,000 funding to support an additional engineering position over a
three-year period. This new position, supplementing the existing two engineers
on staff, will provide engineering assistance to approximately 60 feedlot
projects per year, with an estimated 12 engineering plans generated. In
addition, this new position will empower existing feedlot technicians to help
on even more of the "low-tech" open lot practices by their technical
presence and the availability of added survey and design equipment and
expertise.
Other Projects
o "Steele County Septic System Loan
Program." This Steele County
project requested a $66,000 grant and $1,500,000 in loan funds to undertake
education on fecal coliform bacteria problems in the Straight River watershed
and fund the upgrading of an estimated 200 direct discharging or failing septic
systems. Steele County, together with
the Cannon River Watershed Partnership and other partners, has studied the
problem of fecal coliform contamination through the Total Maximum Daily Load
process, which has resulted in detailed water quality data, fecal coliform
source inventories, and initial public education. The Straight River is one of
four watersheds where contaminant levels exceeded the basinwide median values
of the Regional Fecal TMDL, and where additional effort is called for to achieve
water quality standards.
o "Southeast Minnesota Milkhouse Waste
Treatment Demonstration." This
demonstration project, funded for $183,822, will allow the University of
Minnesota to extend its work on milkhouse wastewater technology to sites in
Winona and Goodhue Counties. Mark Gernes, Winona County feedlot officer,
spearheaded the project, while the University...
o "Dakota County Nonpoint Source
Reduction Project" was funded for $198,439, to address priorities in
Dakota County.
PAWLENTY INITIATIVE HAS SOUTHEAST MN FOCUS: In announcing
the beginning of a new Clean Water Initiative in June, Governor Tim Pawlenty
announced the formation of a Clean Water Cabinet and his intent to pursue a
"watershed approach" in four specific areas of the state - Red River
Valley (flooding focus), Brainerd area lake protection, Twin Cities drinking
water supply protection (Upper Mississippi River) and Southeast Minnesota
impaired waters restoration. "In
Southeast Minnesota, the number of waters unsuitable for swimming is simply
unacceptable," he said, referring to the widespread problem of excess
fecal coliform bacteria concentrations.
As an example of the new, focused approach, Pawlenty set
forth two measurable goals for Southeast Minnesota:
o Area rivers such as the Cannon, Zumbro,
Whitewater, Straight, Vermillion and Root - in addition to more than 100 trout
streams - should be suitable for swimming within 10 years.
o Cropland soil erosion will be reduced by at
least two million tons per year and sediment delivered to streams will be cut
by 30% in the next decade.
In August, Governor Pawlenty accepted BALMM's
recommendation to designate the Root River Watershed as a demonstration area
for southeast Minnesota, with a focus on fecal coliform and turbidity
impairments. The entire Root River watershed will serve as a pilot project,
with the South Branch subwatershed serving as an area of special focus for
implementation and evaluation of results over a three-year period. A plan for
systematic transfer of results from the subwatershed to the whole watershed
will be built into the pilot project.
Among the reasons for choosing the entire Root River are its growing
recreational uses coupled with relatively high levels of impairment for fecal
coliform and turbidity.
Goals of the project are:
1. To reduce harmful bacteria entering rivers
and streams.
2. To reduce sediment loading to rivers and
streams.
3. To coordinate and target delivery of farm
programs' funding to cost effectively remediate current impairments and prevent
future ones.
HIAWATHA RC&D APPLIES FOR ROOT RIVER WATERSHED EPA
GRANT: Building on the momentum created by Governor Pawlenty's selection of the
Root River watershed as a pilot area, the Hiawatha RC&D put together a
major EPA Watershed Initiative application for the Root River Watershed. The $1.3 million application combines BMP
implementation with effectiveness studies on measures to reduce nitrates,
sediment and fecal coliform bacteria. In the upper watershed areas, a major focus
on wetland restoration and riparian buffers to reduce nitrate concentrations is
planned. In the middle areas of the watershed, a major focus on vegetative
filters along the Decorah Edge geologic formation to remove nitrate nitrogen is
planned. In the lower watershed, addressing the area's highly erodible fields
with detention ponds and forestation will be examined. A full slate of local
partners along with PhD researchers from the University of Minnesota and US
Geological Survey has been assembled for the project. By early January,
Governor Pawlenty will choose two projects out of eight applications to forward
to EPA for potential funding.
FECAL COLIFORM TMDL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN COMPLETED:
Finalized in fall 2003 after a year in draft, this was the first Total Maximum
Daily Load implementation plan completed in Minnesota, which made southeast
Minnesota 319 projects eligible for special TMDL-specific funding. The plan
summarizes the Regional Fecal Coliform TMDL study, and provides details on how
each of the sources will be addressed, along with the estimated total cost of
achieving a 65 percent reduction as the TMDL calls for. These costs are as
follows:
Pasture Management: $3.2
million
Feedlot Runoff: $55.0
million
Manure Management Planning: $1.1 million
Manure Application Equipment Upgrades: $41.6 million
Nonconforming Septic Systems: $78.0 million
Undersewered Areas: $17.2
million
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST $194.1
million
The full report can be found at the following MPCA web
site
<http://www.pca.state.mn.us/publications/reports/tmdl-semn-fecalcoliform.pdf>
or at the Upper Mississippi River Basin Stakeholders
Network Website:
<http://www.umbsn.org/news/balmm_updates.html>.
CREP EDGES CLOSER TO COMPLETION: With Governor Pawlenty's
trip to Southeast Minnesota October 14, announcing the Minnesota Conservation
Reserve Program application that includes acreage for SE Minnesota, NW
Minnesota and SW Minnesota, the Southeast Minnesota CREP effort that started
two years ago took a major step forward. Although acreage targets were reduced
to accommodate two other regions in a single statewide application, broader
participation will generate more political support for an estimated $23 million
Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve bonding bill expected to be introduced in
the coming legislative session. That would fulfill the state's requirement to
match federal funding at a ratio of 1 to 4 - which represents significantly
better leveraging of state funds than was available in the Minnesota River
CREP. Acreage amounts are:
o Riparian Zones: 11,050 acres
o Groundwater Protection: 4,675 acres
o Highly Erodible Land: 15,000 acres
o Rotation Contour Strips: 2,880 acres
o Wetland Restoration: 8,925
o Total Acreage: 42,500 acres (1.6% of
cultivated cropland)
Easement choices in the Governor's Minnesota CREP
proposal include 35-year (in addition to a 15-year CRP contract) or perpetual
easements for riparian zones, groundwater protection, and highly erodible land.
By state law, perpetual easements are required for wetlands. Only 15-year CRP
contracts will be available for Rotation Contour Strips. The only snag still holding up the
application is continued opposition by the state's Farm Service Agency and some
farm organizations to Governor Pawlenty's decision to offer farmers the choice
of permanent easements for riparian land, groundwater protection, and highly
erodible land in addition to wetlands. This issue is being discussed in hopes
of reaching consensus very soon.
The application will need approval from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Nearly $200
million in federal money combined with $40 million from the state would fully
fund the statewide CREP application. Every $1 allocated by the state will be
matched with $4 of federal funding.
Southeast Minnesota CREP Coordinator Bev Nordby (Mower
SWCD District Manager) is organizing a local CREP Coalition, with contacts from
each county 14 counties plus several non-government organizations. At its first meeting (Nov. 6, MPCA Rochester
Office, 9-noon), the coalition will accelerate the task of Building Local
Support.
For more information, contact: Bev Nordby at 507-434-2603
or email bev.nordby@mn.usda.gov
OPEN LOT AGREEMENT PROJECT PROGRESSES: Implementation of
the Open Lot Agreement (OLA) is moving into high gear in several of the
counties participating in the Targeted Feedlot Runoff Reduction project in
Southeast Minnesota. The project, funded by the EPA's Section 319 Program and
administered by the Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board, involves eight
counties -- Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Olmsted, Rice, Wabasha, and
Winona. These counties made use of 319 grant funds of approximately $70,000 per
county to hire part-time and retired farmers or agriculturists, in addition to
technicians, to assist with feedlot registration and signup for the Open Lot
Agreement (OLA). This provision of the revised state feedlot rules allows
farmers with fewer than 300 animal units to come into compliance in two phases:
50% runoff reduction by October 2005, and full compliance by October 2010. The
goal of the three-year project, which began in October 2001, is to enroll 90%
of eligible feedlots in priority areas in the Open Lot Agreement. Additional
319 grants obtained this year (see above) will allow the project to continue
into implementation.
Focusing on the OLA makes sense for these eight southeast
Minnesota counties for several reasons.
o First, 88 percent of the 6,786 registered
feedlots in these counties are in the eligible size category of fewer than 300
animal units.
o Second, of the feedlots that are eligible
for the OLA, about half, or 3357, are likely to pose a pollution hazard,
according to county feedlot staff estimates.
o Third, a recently completed Fecal Coliform
Total Maximum Daily Load study for southeast Minnesota called for a 65%
reduction in significant pollutant sources, including feedlots, adding to the
urgency of addressing the problem.
When the feedlot rules were revised in 2000, the OLA was
widely seen as a relaxation of current rules in that it extended the period for
compliance. This so-called relaxation, however, is resulting in significantly
higher rates of compliance where counties are actively promoting the OLA. In
the eight-county project area, thousands of livestock farmers who previously
had no feedlot permits have now registered; 40% of the smaller feedlots that
are thought to pose a pollution hazard have enrolled in the OLA; and half of
those feedlots have developed or are implementing fixes.
As the project moves beyond registration and OLA signups
into implementation, counties are finding that many of the feedlot fixes can be
done at a fairly low cost ($2,000 to $15,000), in contrast to expensive manure
storage structures. Some plans utilize simple devices such as roof gutters,
earthen berms, filter strips, concrete curbs and drainpipe that runs under the
feedlot.
However, even apparently simple solutions often require
engineering expertise. As implementation proceeds, demand for engineering
services is expected to mushroom. How to
address this need - along with the need for additional cost-share dollars to
fund thousands of low-cost solutions - is a topic of urgent discussion.
'SEWAGE SQUAD' FORGING AHEAD: A small group of local
government and University Extension staff are busy working to improve operation
and maintenance of septic systems, stimulate homeowners with faulty systems to
have them repaired, and to work with residents of unsewered communities to find
solutions that fit their specific conditions. Led by the Southeast Minnesota
Water Resources Board and supported by a pair of 319 grants obtained in 2002
and 2003, the project includes two wastewater community facilitators (Nick Haig
in Faribault, and Sheila Craig in Preston) plus an Extension Educator (Doug
Malchow, Rochester). They are joined by county water planners, MPCA, and other
groups such as the Midwest Assistance Program and the Cannon River Watershed
Partnership to work toward their goal of assisting 20-30 additional communities
and doubling the annual rate at which Imminent Public Health Threat-classified
septic systems are fixed. A major highlight of the project in 2003 has been a
survey about residential wastewater treatment by individual sewage treatment
systems, water quality and related issues.
This random survey of 3,300 Southeast Minnesota residents indicates that
the majority of respondents tend to over-estimate water quality of streams,
rivers and lakes in the area, and to under-estimate the extent to which their
septic systems are contributing to water quality degradation. A large majority
said that they would be motivated to correct problems if their systems were not
working. However, a similarly large majority also opposed regular government
inspections of septic systems. At the same time, a small majority (55%) said
that more needs to be done to address the issue of water contamination from
nonfunctioning septic systems. A large majority said that homeowners should be
required to repair or replace septic systems that are found to be causing
contamination. Nine out of ten also
favored the government's provision of low-interest loans to finance septic
system repair and replacement, and one-third of respondents said this would be
their preferred way of financing septic system repair or replacement. These are
a few highlights of the survey, which is now being used to design a
communication strategy. Two elements of the strategy are, one, to provide
county boards of commissioners in the region with in-person presentations on
results in their counties, and to write news releases on survey findings to
local media. Also, a self audit is being designed which will quickly
inform homeowners whether their septic
system is in compliance or not. The audit will build on awareness created
through the public meetings and news media, with brief one-on-one meetings to
address homeowners' specific situation. Meetings with a number of unsewered
communities also are starting to bear some fruit, as several have indicated an
interest in exploring solutions with the community facilitators. At the same
time, as a result of recent legislation, there is an opportunity for counties
to get involved in a pilot project to identify Imminent Public Health Threats and
come up with a plan to repair them, as part of a broader effort to develop a
10-year plan to address noncompliance problems statewide. At least two
southeastern Minnesota counties have expressed interest in participating in the
pilot project.
MINNESOTA PROJECT AWARDED GRANT TO ENROLL FARMERS IN
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS: Loni Kemp, Senior Policy Analyst with the Minnesota
Project, was recently informed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
that her grant application of $40,000 for Enrolling Farmers in Conservation
Programs has been approved. "For sure we need to be on the January agenda
to begin planning," writes Loni. "Recall we'll need a person from
each participating county to form a work group, and they'll each get $1000 cash
for outreach expenses, though their time is contributed." Could be a good
way to beat the drum for CREP and other new NRCS conservation programs,
including possibly the Conservation Security Program. The additional resources
will also help to work toward the Clean Water Initiative goal of coordinating
and targeting farm program conservation resources to address water quality
problems in the Root River watershed and elsewhere in southeast Minnesota. For more information, contact Loni Kemp at
507-743-8300, or email lkemp@mnproject.org <mailto:lkemp@mnproject.org>
AND SO MUCH MORE: If only there was time and space to
describe the September legislative tour, which began in Hope and ended in a
newly converted rotational grazing operation in Dodge County; the Southeast
Minnesota Water Quality Forum in November, attended by five legislators
compared to one last year; Bev Nordby's selection as top SWCD employee of the
year; not to mention the seemingly endless CREP deadlock (has there been
something you could call a discussion?) on the question of permanent easements.
As the year draws to a close, and you survey all that is going on, it does seem
as though this collaboration called BALMM is still gaining momentum - although
you can't take anything for granted, can't rest on any real or imagined
laurels, and can't stop to catch your breath because -- because it all
generates work. By focusing the work of its partners on common objectives,
drawing more partners to the task, and managing to learn how to work smarter as
we go along, this thing called BALMM may give us the satisfaction of making
progress, however slowly and unevenly, as the eventual result of our daily
work.
MINNESOTA RIVER RESEARCH FORUM: The second annual
Minnesota River Research Forum is scheduled for Thursday, January 29,
2004. As the title suggests, the theme
will feature Minnesota River research issues.
Although the agenda is still being developed, Minnesota River pollutant
problems such as phosphorus and sediment are likely topics. The Forum will appeal to appeal to watershed
project staff, the Minnesota River Board, and others interested in research
issues related to the Minnesota River.
The event will be held at Minnesota State University - Mankato. The tentative time is 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. An agenda will be available in early
January. For more information, contact
MSU's Water Resources Center at 507-389-5492
SHORELAND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES:
Sixteen shoreland education workshops will be offered
across the state in 2004. Presented by the University of Minnesota Extension
Service Shoreland Education Program, the workshops will include shoreline
revegetation and maintenance, aquatic and wetland plant identification, and
basic shoreland management. A series of three workshops on managing curly leaf
pondweed are being co-sponsored by the Minnesota Lakes Association and the
Initiative Foundation.
For more details, including a schedule listing workshop
dates and locations, registration forms and fees, and online registration
options, visit: www.extension.umn.edu/water/shore
<http://www.extension.umn.edu/water/shore>
In the three-day workshops on Shoreland Revegetation,
you'll learn how natural shorelines can reduce runoff and erosion, filter
nutrients, improve wildlife habitat, and protect your privacy and property
values. In addition, you will learn design techniques, plan a revegetation
project, and participate in a hands-on planting. The one-day revegetation
workshop is a basic introduction.
The Wetland and Aquatic Plant Identification workshops will
help you understand the value of shoreland plants, identify common native and
exotic plants, and acquire skills to use in lake mapping or developing a
management plan. There will be two workshops focused on Maintenance for
Shoreland Revegetation projects - learn how to ensure that your big investment
survives and thrives.
Two Shoreland Volunteer workshops will train interested
lake leaders and property owners in basic aquatic ecology and watershed
concepts, aquatic plant management, shoreline management, and communication
tips.
These workshops will be valuable for property owners,
association leaders, Master Gardeners, nursery professionals, naturalists,
educators, local units of government, and elected officials. The Extension
Shoreland Education Program is supported by the University of Minnesota
Extension Service, Water Resources Center, and Sea Grant Program.
Minnesota's Impaired Waters Stakeholder Process
Public Stakeholder Input Group
January 13, 2004
St. Cloud Civic Center,
St. Cloud, MN
(Tentative time: 9:30am-4:30pm)
In early summer, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
and a group of key stakeholders invited the Minnesota Environmental Initiative
(MEI) to design and manage a stakeholder process that would result in a policy
framework for the development and implementation of the state's impaired waters
program. Since mid-July, dozens of
stakeholders from the business, government and nonprofit communities have been
meeting regularly to develop their recommendations. On January 13, 2004, these stakeholders will
be on hand to explain the outcomes of the process, including the 2004
legislative proposal which establishes funding for the impaired waters program.
The Public Stakeholder Input Group is the largest and
most inclusive in the three-tier public participation process MEI created. An audience of several hundred stakeholders
ranging from local water quality leaders to legislators are expected to
converge on St. Cloud to provide input on the process outcomes and to learn
more about what role they can play in the program's implementation.
Because it is a part of the stakeholder process, there
will be no charge for the event. To be
involved all you need to do is register online at:
<http://www.mn-ei.org/policy/events.html>.
More information on the Public Stakeholder Input Group
meeting will be sent out in December. If
you have questions regarding the event call Peter Frosch at 612-334-3388
ext.108 or email at pfrosch@mn-ei.org.
More information on the Impaired Waters Stakeholder Process is available
on MEI's website: <http://www.mn-ei.org/policy/impairedwaters.html>
Minnesota Environmental Initiative is a 13-year old
nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis.
MEI builds innovative partnerships among business, government and
nonprofit groups to find solutions to Minnesota's most complex environmental
problems.
BEARS REPEATING: "In order that people may be happy
in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it: They
must not do too much of it: And they must have a sense of success in it."
- John Ruskin (1819-1900)
Send comments and items for future editions to:
balmm currents editor: Norman Senjem, MPCA
Phone: 507/280-3592
Fax: 507/280-5513
norman.senjem@pca.state.mn.us