balmm currents
Basin
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FEB. 19 BALMM AGENDA: The Southeast
Minnesota Wastewater Initiative and a
Other agenda items:
* Karst Campaign Update by Tim Wagar and Brad Carlson.
* Preparing for Water Resource Management Day
at the Capitol (CREP and other regional priorities).
* More on Turbidity TMDL developments, from Bill
Thompson.
CREP CAMPAIGN: A BALMM sub-committee is busy moving the
CREP application forward, now with an emphasis on state funding of the RIM Reserve
by restoring a $2 million bonding bill that passed the Legislature but was subsequently
vetoed in 2002. The committee has produced a color brochure tailor-made for
legislators, which is being copied on shoe-string budgets by various members.
The SWCDs carried the brochures, and a plea for RIM
funding, to legislators on Wed., Feb. 5, and counties are preparing for a Water
Resource Management Day at the capitol in early March. Also, plans are underway
to update and print numerous copies of the CREP application - which is acknowledged
by FSA and BWSR to be a very strong one. "We view this CREP proposal as
one that is...focused, targeted and provides excellent conservation opportunities,"
says John Monson, Executive Director, Minnesota State
FSA. "The members of the Basin Alliance for the
CREP PRESENTATION NOW ON-LINE:
You can view the CREP power point presentation at www.umbsn.org;
scroll down a bit below the Darling cartoon.
ROTATIONAL GRAZING PROJECT LAUNCHED IN 4 COUNTIES: Grazing
guru Howard Moechnig is off to a running start with
the newly funded "Grazing Management for Trout Stream Improvement"
project in Wabasha, Winona, Fillmore and Houston Counties - home to most of
the area's trout streams than need an extra measure of protection such as that
provided with managed rotational grazing. Says Howard: "Our goal is to
have at least 1-2 service providers (NRCS, SWCD, MES, or third party vendors)
in each of the 4 counties trained to be able to prepare managed rotational grazing
plans for many of the producers that request them. Secondly,
to provide producers with adequate information to properly manage a rotational
grazing system. It would be excellent if they would join existing grazier
groups or create their own for the exchange of ideas and management techniques
for grazing systems.
"In addition to the training, the goal is to prepare
35 prescribed grazing plans this calendar year in the project area. I currently
have requests for 21 plans on the list. From the sounds of it, an additional
14 requests probably exist right now. This is a good thing!"
MYTHS ABOUT AGRICULTURE: Denton Breuning
of the Minnesota Department of agriculture points to the following misconceptions
about agriculture and the environment that have been exploded by knowledge gained
through FANMAP (Farm Nutrient/Pesticide Management Assessment Program) studies
in southeast Minnesota and elsewhere in the state.
Fanmap has the ability to determine
if perceptions of farming in a specific area are accurate. The following three
statements were general perceptions before fanmap
was initiated.
1. Atrazine is not a major pesticide in corn use.
Farmers were surveyed in four counties in east/southeast
2. Small dairies contribute to more over-application
of nitrogen than large diaries due to poor manure management.
A Fanmap of farmers in the Cold Springs area of
3. Farmers are using moldboard plows as the most common
tillage practice.
A Fanmap of Sand and Bevins
creek watersheds in Scott and
CONSERVATION TILLAGE TRAINING WORKSHOPS COMING: The University
of Minnesota has scheduled four workshops on March 3 and March 4 to introduce
a publication designed to help farmers and agricultural advisors gain a better
understanding of how tillage practices affect soil erosion, water quality, and
profitability. The program will include the publication authors, who will discuss
key farm management practices needed to maintain yields and manage production
risks associated with reduced tillage and no-till systems. The workshops also
will cover tillage implements and systems that are used to reduce soil erosion
with little or no impact on yields. Contact Tim Wagar
at 507-280-2866, or email at wagar001@umn.edu <mailto:wagar001@umn.edu>
if you plan to attend. Local government staff are urged
to invite area farmers and ag advisors. Publications
will be available free of charge at the workshops.
March 3 Workshops:
* Woody's, Dexter,
*
March 4 Workshops:
* Tavern on the Green,
* Branding Iron,
FECAL COLIFORM HEADLINES CANNON RIVER
3 MORE FECAL COLIFORM REDUCTION PROJECTS TO BE FUNDED :
The following individual 319 projects have been approved for funding to implement
the Regional Fecal Coliform TMDL, which calls for a 65% reduction in bacteria
from significant sources of pollution:.
* Improved Livestock Management in Sensitive Riparian
Areas - Minnesota Department of Agriculture
This project focuses on improved management of cattle in
sensitive environmental areas - especially stream corridors - in two watersheds:
Salem Creek, a tributary of the S. Fork Zumbro River;
and the North and South branches of the
The project will cooperate with local units of government
and watershed project participants to systematically address the management
of livestock in sensitive riparian areas. It will include the following activities:
Identification of pastures in need of improved management; One-on-one contacts
with landowners to explore alternative management options ranging from fencing
and watering systems to complete rotational grazing plans; provision of cost-share
assistance to implement management plans; GIS evaluation of land use in targeted
subwatersheds; longitudinal water quality monitoring
studies in each watershed to determine the effect of different land-use practices
on fecal coliform, turbidity and nutrients in surface water; farm-specific monitoring
to measure water quality conditions before and after land management changes
are made; design and preparation of educational materials to transfer knowledge
from this project to adjacent watersheds within the basin, or to similar agroecoregions,
where similar problems exist.
* Straight River Fecal Coliform Reduction Project -
Cannon River Watershed Partnership
The Straight River TMDL report identified two of the sources
of fecal coliform bacteria loading to the Straight River watershed to be runoff
from open feedlots with pollution hazards and surface applied manure. This
project will accelerate current efforts to reduce fecal coliform bacteria in
the Straight River watershed by increasing signup to the open lot agreement
and by accelerating signups into continuous CRP and other federal conservation
programs. There are 461 open feedlots in Steele County, with 421 of them under
300 animal units. Of the 31 lots deemed "pollution hazards", 21 have
signed the open lot agreement.
Cannon River Watershed Partnership (CRWP), Steele County
Environmental Services., and Steele Soil and Water Conservation District have
formed a partnership that will reduce fecal coliform bacteria in the Straight
River watershed by 40% by 2012. Within this 3-year project period, fecal coliform
bacteria will be reduced by up to 20% in priority areas. This collaborative
will approach the reduction of fecal coliform bacteria by:
* Signing up feedlot owners to the PCA Open Lot Agreement
Rules
* Installing 1500 acres of farmed wetlands and continuous
CRP filter strips per year in Steele County
* Promoting additional Best Management Practices to
reduce fecal coliform bacteria from entering our waters.
* Develop a digitized, comprehensive inventory of riparian
corridors in Steele County
The major portion of the funding request will be used for
the following project elements:
* Develop individualized information packets for landowners
in Steele County, including current aerial photographs of property with CRP
eligible lands highlighted
* Conduct outreach with landowners and elected officials
on fecal coliform bacteria
* Increase Steele County Feedlot officer from
.5 FTE to.75FTE
* Increase Steele SWCD staff time on Continuous CRP
from.5 FTE to 1 FTE.
This project will assist NCRS and Steele SWCD by conducting
comprehensive and focused outreach to the area's agricultural community. There
is a need to work with farmers so they recognize the value of adopting conservation
measures such as continuous CRP filter strips, riparian buffers, conservation
tillage and other techniques that will keep soil on the ground.
CRWP and local agencies will collaborate and organize meetings
and talk with landowners about the problems associated with fecal coliform bacteria
and the practices that can reduce its input to our waters.
CRWP will work with local units of government to identify
priority areas in the Straight River watershed. Assessment will occur
using data on fecal coliform bacteria levels, amount of rivers streams and ditches,
acreage currently in a conservation/retirement program, amount of acreage with
riparian buffers. Current aerial photos necessary for project.
A comprehensive, targeted approach will be made to area landowners, and mailings
will include an aerial photograph of the landowner's property. Photos will
show details from individual property to larger watershed, showing relationship
between property and larger project.
* Reduction of Fecal Coliform Bacteria from Human Sources
- Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board
This project, awarded to the SE Minnesota Water Resources
Board, is the second phase of a comprehensive effort to reduce the number of
failing septic systems and in the basin and to maintain continued sound performance
of conforming systems. It builds on the ongoing efforts of the "Targeted
Residential Wastewater Treatment Project" (already in progress) in two
ways: 1) Approximately 20 communities that will be brought into the process
of seeking solutions to their nonconforming wastewater systems during the current
project will be offered cost-share funding for assessments of their current
conditions related to wastewater treatment, and for engineering feasibility
studies. The latter will be required to consider a variety of creative approaches
to solving a community's wastewater problems, including decentralized or small
pipe approaches, combinations of centralized and decentralized systems, performance
systems and composting systems. 2) ISTS owners who will receive training in
proper operation and maintenance of their systems will have help in preventing
the occurrence of future failure of their systems through the development of
county data management and communication systems which track pumping schedules
and other data related to the condition of ISTS systems.
BEARS REPEATING: "If NPDES is a large wave, total maximum
daily load (TMDL) is a tsunami. Depending on changes made in the current administration,
the TMDL regulatory program has the potential to dwarf and trump all other water
efforts within the next 10 years. And it will be done on a watershed basis."
-- Andy Reese, Stormwater magazine
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