balmm currents
Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota
June 25, 2003
GOV. PAWLENTY SPOTLIGHTS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA, CREP:
In announcing the beginning of a new clean water initiative, Governor Tim Pawlenty yesterday 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.
The Governor said his administration is working on an ambitious proposal for the next generation of Minnesota's Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to achieve clean water goals. CREP applications which have been prepared for Southeast Minnesota and the Red River Valley may be combined in a single new CREP application to be submitted to USDA in the near future.
BALMM Milestone
The governor's announcements represent a milestone in realizing the main purpose of BALMM, as first stated in our fact sheet three years ago. "The purpose of BALMM is to create an organized, unified effort in the Lower Mississippi River Basin that will: 1: Make the case to the public, elected officials and funding sources for giving priority attention to water quality restoration and protection in southeast Minnesota; and 2: Establish ongoing coordination of local, state, tribal and federal agencies to plan and implement water quality protection and restoration activities that are economically and environmentally sustainable and reflect local and downstream priorities."
The goals announced by Governor Pawlenty can be found in the Regional Total Maximum Daily Load Study of Fecal Coliform Bacteria Impairments in the Lower Mississippi River Basin in Minnesota October 2002) and the Southeast Minnesota Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program proposal (Feb. 2003). Both documents were developed in close coordination with BALMM, and represent refinements of broader goals stated in the 2001 Basin Plan Scoping Document. Several BALMM projects are underway to implement strategies to achieve these goals, and more are under development. Details to come.....
Clean Water Cabinet
To help ensure meaningful results, Governor Pawlenty has directed the formation of a Clean Water Cabinet, which will include the commissioners from the Pollution Control Agency, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and the executive director of the Board of water and Soil Resources. The cabinet will foster common solutions to the unique clean water challenges each agency faces, and work toward coordinated solutions in the four geographic focus areas.
Pawlenty said that one or two demonstration watersheds will be selected in each of the four geographic focus areas to demonstrate how a new, coordinated approach can work. "This isn't simply going to be the state swooping in and imposing some new regulations and projects. Working in concert with local governments and private partners, watersheds will be selected based on measurable achievable outcomes. These will be demonstration projects that will be first steps in insuring our state's water future. "
Guiding Principles
At the heart of the governor's clean water vision are four guiding principles:
o "Keep working lands working: Protecting water resources while preserving Minnesotans' ability to farm their land and enjoy the outdoors is sustainable, realistic and an absolute necessity.
o "Focus on priorities. We can do a few things well rather than try to do everything poorly.
o "Apply individualized solutions." Threats to one watershed may be entirely different than another. Problem-solving strategies must be uniquely tailored to address the challenge.
o "Cooperation is essential." No single agency or organization can meet these challenges alone. Improving Minnesota's water quality requires teamwork among local governments, business and industry, agriculture, non-profits, and citizens."
The governor made these announcements at a conference in St. Cloud on June 24, "Minnesota's Waters and the TMDL Challenge: Laying the foundation for a water quality improvement partnership." The event was part of the Minnesota Environmental Initiative 2003 Environmental Policy Forum Series, sponsored by Flint Hills Resources, Wenck Associates and the MPCA.
MESCHKE OUTLINES AG ENVIRONMENT ISSUES:
Linda Meschke, director of the Blue Earth River Basin Initiative, gave a presentation at "Minnesota's Waters and the TMDL Challenge" that summarized key issues that need to be addressed in order to successfully reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution.
Seven Issues
o Deal with denial - Agriculture needs to admit that it contributes to the problem.
o Address "masses" - Rather than focusing on minorities who are innovators and laggards (at both ends of the BMP adoption spectrum), we need to focus on the majority in the middle, achieving gradual adoption step by step.
o Be careful about regulation - Agriculture is competitive, and farmers can't pass along increased production costs through higher prices.
o Farm policy - realize that USDA policy drives farming practices, from what farmers plant to how much effort they put into conservation.
o Address ag ignorance - Many people who deal with farmers, trying to find ways to increase BMP adoption, have a minimal understanding of farming.
o Drainage - This is part of the infrastructure of agriculture. Approach with caution.
o Cropping System Change Essential - Increased adoption of BMPs is probably not going to be enough to achieve needed runoff reductions in areas dominated by row crops (corn and soybeans). New alternatives are needed that provide perennial ground cover. These should be targeted to approximately 10% of farmland that is most sensitive (slopes greater than 6%, riparian corridors, etc.)
Five Solutions
o Get producers involved in watershed projects from the beginning.
o Involve new players in partnerships, including commodity organizations, dealers, and crop consultants.
o Target efforts to where they are most needed to reduce runoff.
o Confine regulatory approaches to point source issues.
o Innovate - try new approaches
Two Suggestions
o Build soil health through reduced tillage and crop rotation.
o Keep the raindrop where it falls.
SMALL GROUP NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANNING WORKSHOPS:
Funds are available for watershed groups, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, County Feedlot Officers, Extension staff, producer groups and others to organize "hands-on" nutrient and manure plan-writing workshops in their areas for crop and livestock farmers. UM Regional Extension staff, with local partners, lead the workshops where small groups of producers use information from two or three of their own fields to prepare plans. At the completion of the three-hour session, producers understand how these plans are prepared and are able to complete the plan for their entire farm. Eighteen such workshops have been held so far this year with excellent comments. The workshops are a good opportunity even for those producers who wish to employ a crop consultant to finish the plan: an understanding of how application rates are determined is useful for anyone applying manure and fertilizer. This opportunity will be of special interest to livestock producers with operations between 300 and 1,000 animal units, since they are required under state feedlot rules to have a plan on file or have manure applied by a certified operator by January 2005. Kevin Blanchet and Jodi DeJong-Hughes of UM Extension are the project coordinators and workshop presenters. Kevin works with eastern counties, (Kevin.Blanchet@CO.DAKOTA.MN.US <mailto:Kevin.Blanchet@CO.DAKOTA.MN.US>), and Jodi with western counties (dejon003@umn.edu <mailto:dejon003@umn.edu>). Contact them soon for more information, including a local organizers packet and brochures.
CANNON RIVER FESTIVAL COMING AUG. 2: The Cannon River Watershed Partnership is hosting its second Cannon River Festival in Bridge Square, in downtown Northfield, August 2, 2003. Organizations are invited to staff informational exhibits at the event at no cost ($10 or $20 charged for table and chairs for non-profits and other types of organizations, respectively). The event, which drew more than 400 visitors last year, will be held from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with exhibit setup time at 9:00. Please reserve exhibit space no later than July 21. For more information, contact Joey Robinson at 507-645-7094.
BEARS REPEATING: "In southeast Minnesota, the number of waters unsuitable for swimming is simply unacceptable." -- Governor Tim Pawlenty, June 24, 2003
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