balmm currents
Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota
July 16, 2002
Next BALMM Meeting Wednesday July 17, 9-12 am, Rochester MPCA....
FECAL (TMDL) FEEDBACK: Reaction to the MPCA report, "Regional Total Maximum
Daily Load for Fecal Coliform Bacteria in the Lower Mississippi River Basin
of Southeast Minnesota" following its release July 8 has been extensive and
varied. Tom Meersman of the Star Tribune called for an interview that same
afternoon, and wrote a story that made the top half of the front page the
next day. That article was picked up by the news wires, which led to the
story appearing in numerous dailies and weeklies throughout the basin, and
to requests for interviews on TV, radio and newspapers. The multi-media
coverage seems to have gotten the message out. We heard from a group of
kayakers who like to ride the rapids on the lower Vermillion River, who have
gotten skin rashes and various gastrointestinal ailments. We also got a call
from the owner of a campground in the Zumbro watershed. She wanted to get to
the bottom of exactly what kind of health risk the TMDL report had
indicated. It seems as though an excited camper who had been listening to
the news insisted that one mouthful of the polluted water was enough to
trigger kidney failure. The campground owner was relieved -although
apparently not surprised -- to learn that fecal coliform bacteria is simply
an indicator of the possible presence of pathogens. The mayor of a small
community in the Zumbro River watershed asked if we could provide monitoring
information to help them qualify for a grant to help cover the cost of
providing centralized sewage treatment in a town with a current ISTS failure
rate of 80%. A couple from Austin who had just built a cabin on a tributary
of the Root River in the Mabel area, and wanted to know if it was safe to
let their grandchildren play in the water. A man who was leading a canoe
expedition wanted to know which tributaries, if any, to avoid. A
civic-minded Preston man was worried that the report would put a damper on
tourism. "We know there's a problem - what we need is solutions," he said.
Finally, there was the angry caller from Elk River whose dog had come out of
the Mississippi River smelling like sewage - the origin of which he wanted
to discuss. In addition to these calls, of course, were many simple
requests for information and documents.
TMDL DOCUMENTATION ON WEB SITE: To view the full Regional TMDL report and a
Fact Sheet summary, visit the following location on the MPCA's web site:
www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl.html
PUBLIC MEETINGS PLANNED FOR JULY 30: Two meetings for the general public and
one meeting for farmers and other agricultural professionals are planned for
July 30 as part of the public notice process for the Regional TMDL. The
meetings will be held at the Rochester MPCA Office at 18 Wood Lake Drive SE,
across from Fleet Farm just off Hwy. 63 South. Public Open House sessions
are planned for 10:00- 12:00 am and 6:00-8:00 pm. A farmer discussion is
planned for 1:00-3:00 pm. Each session will include a 20-minute introduction
to the Regional TMDL, a 10-minute discussion of the role of BALMM in
implementing the TMDL, followed by discussion and comments by those
attending. The farmer meeting will include a discussion of agricultural
sources and reduction strategies. For more information, contact Norman
Senjem at the address and phone number given at the end of balmm currents.
KARST CAMPAIGN TAKING SHAPE: Following the June BALMM meeting, a group
stayed in town for the afternoon to help plan the Karst Campaign, a project
intended to plan more effective ways to increase the adoption of
agricultural BMPs in the karst region. The University of Minnesota received
a grant from the USDA for this purpose, and is working through BALMM to
coordinate the project with other basin activities and organizations. The
group has proposed to establish six teams to develop a more detailed plan of
action in the following areas: 1) Water Quality Status and Hydrology of the
Karst Region; 2) Farmstead Assessment; 3) Forage-Based Livestock Farming; 4)
Feedlot Siting and Design Criteria; 5) Pesticide Management; 6) Nutrient
Management; and 7) Soil Conservation and Conservation Tillage. The group
developed a draft list of proposed members for these teams, which will be
reviewed at tomorrow's BALMM meeting. Wellhead protection and TMDLs will be
taken into account by each of the teams. The intended outcome of the project
is a comprehensive, targeted, and coordinated educational/marketing plan to
assist the implementation of key BALMM strategies where they can be most
effective.
THE CURRENT STATE OF CONSENSUS: As BALMM attempts through the Karst Campaign
to develop a coordinated approach to marketing agricultural BMPs, and as the
USDA begins to define Tiers 1-3 of the new Conservation Security Program, it
is relevant to examine the current state of consensus regarding ag BMPs that
will provide significant water quality protection while maintaining the
productivity of farming operations. Substantial agreement on 14 criteria
under five separate categories has been achieved over the past five years
through the Minnesota Alliance for Conservation and Resource Management,
which administers the River-Friendly Farmer (RFF) program. Fourteen
participating organizations ranging from the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council,
Farm Bureau, Agriliance and Pioneer Hi-Bred to the MDA, DNR, PCA, Institute
for Agriculture & Trade Policy and others agree on these criteria and in
different ways support the RFF recognition program. Experience has shown
that it is a rather select group of farmers who qualify for recognition as
River-Friendly Farmers - it's not a "Star City" type of designation that
loses its distinctiveness through ubiquitous signage. RFF Classroom
curricula have been developed for vocational ag schools, connecting the
program to FFA programs across the state. And, in the latest brochure,
criteria have been organized under CORE 4 Categories, demonstrating
compatibility with this program, as follows:
RIVER-FRIENDLY FARMER CRITERIA
Crop Nutrient Management
1. Do you apply N and P fertilizer according to rates and methods suggested
by the University of Minnesota?
2. Do you regularly soil test your fields and use expected yield to
determine fertilizer recommendations?
3. Has manure been tested and applied at rates that do not result in excess
available N or excessive increases in soil test P?
4. Do you inject, promptly incorporate or otherwise manage manure
applications to minimize risks to water and air quality?
5. Do you have adequate manure storage that prevents potential runoff or
leakage and allows timely application of manure to fields?
Erosion Control
6. Do you maintain a rotational average of 30% crop residue cover after
planting on all your fields or have other equivalent conservation practices
in place?
7. Do you have a Soil Conservation Plan in place for all highly erodible
land?
8. Do you use intensive rotational grazing management on pastureland?
Weed and Pest Control
9. Do you apply pesticides according to label recommendations for rates, set
back distances, and personal and environmental safety precautions?
10. Do you integrate pest management practices that minimize the impact of
pesticides (e.g., select pesticides of low toxicity, use banded application,
row cultivation, crop rotation, etc.)?
11. Are pesticides and pesticide containers properly handled, stored, and
disposed of to prevent water pollution?
Conservation Buffers
12. Are potential sites for gullies protected and stabilized with
appropriate conservation techniques?
13. Are drainage ditches, wetlands, streams, and other water bodies
adequately protected with conservation buffers (e.g., filter strips, grassed
waterways, field borders, etc.)?
Environmental Regulations
14. Are farming practices in compliance with applicable regulations related
to water quality (e.g., feedlot registration and rules, pesticide applicator
certification, etc.)?
For more information on the River-Friendly Farmer program, including program
materials contact: Robin Martinek, NRCS, 651-602-7866, or email
robin.zucollo@mn.usda.gov, OR Tim Wagar, University of Minnesota Extension
Service, 507-280-2866, or email wagar001@umn.edu.
STAKEHOLDER NETWORK MOVES BALMM DOCUMENTS ON WEB SITE:
BALMM material has been moved to the following location in the new Watershed
Programs section of the web site maintained by the Upper Mississippi Basin
Stakeholder Network. The new location is:
http://www.umbsn.org/news/balmm_updates.shtml
For more information on the web site, contact John Gabbert at
jgabbert@smumn.edu, or call 507-457-6603
BALMM DOCUMENTS POSTED ON MPCA WEB SITE: The BALMM Basin Plan Scoping
Document and 4-page flyer can be viewed at the following MPCA web site:
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/basins/index.html
ROTATIONAL GRAZING and HAYING FIELD DAY JULY 25: The Dan and Carla Miller
farm near Spring Valley once again is the site of an information-packed
evening field day July 25, 6 pm to 9 pm. Location is 1.5 miles east of
Spring Valley on Hwy 16, then 1.5 miles north on the gravel road between
Hyland Motors (Ford tractor dealership) and the White Amoco Tanks. Learn
about:
* New Conservation Provisions of the New Farm Bill
* Designing Safe and Effective Cattle Handling Facilities
* Potassium Rates for Pasture and Hay
* Fencing System Design and Economics
* Reducing Winter Feeding Costs.
A Free Beef Sandwich and Ice Cream Meal will be provided. For more
information call Dan Miller at 507-346-7875.
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