balmm currents

Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota

July 8, 2002

 

 

SPECIAL EDITION

 

ANNOUNCING

 

REGIONAL TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD (TMDL)

FOR FECAL COLIFORM BACTERIA

IN THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA

PUBLIC NOTICE PERIOD FROM JULY 8 - AUGUST 6

 

 

 

REGIONAL TMDL ON FECAL COLIFORM BACTERIA COMPLETED:

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) released a regional study

today evaluating problems of excessive fecal coliform bacteria levels in

streams in southeastern Minnesota.  The agency is requesting the public to

comment on the study through Aug. 6, 2002.

 

The study covers an area of 7,266 square miles draining through 11,000 miles

of streams to the Mississippi River.

 

MPCA data show most monitoring sites in the region regularly violate federal

and state water-quality standards for fecal coliform bacteria in recent

years.  Two-thirds of the region's land area drains to stream segments that

are on a federal list of "impaired" waters due to high fecal bacteria

levels.  Monitoring sites on the Root, Cedar, Zumbro, Cannon, Whitewater,

Vermillion and Mississippi Rivers showed water quality impairments.

 

Too much bacteria in surface waters used for recreation may increase the

risk of pathogen-induced illness to humans, including gastrointestinal,

respiratory, eye, ear, nose, throat, and skin diseases, according to the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 

The report attributes widespread fecal coliform contamination to thousands

of pollutant sources distributed across the landscape, including

noncompliant septic systems, urban runoff of pet waste, livestock feedlots,

manured fields, pastures and wildlife.  "This is not the kind of problem you

can solve by controlling a few big pollution sources," said Norman Senjem,

MPCA basin coordinator in Rochester. "We need to reduce pollution from

thousands of sources spread across the entire region."

 

The report is the first of more to come in Minnesota under a provision of

the federal Clean Water Act called Total Maximum Daily Loads.  TMDLs

determine the maximum pollutant loads that lakes and rivers can tolerate and

still meet applicable water-quality standards.  The studies are used to set

pollutant limits and reduction goals.  The state received federal funding to

begin doing TMDLs in 2000.

 

The MPCA report, titled "A Regional TMDL for Fecal coliform Bacteria in the

Lower Mississippi River Basin of Southeast Minnesota," calls for a 65

percent reduction in fecal coliform, and notes that several regional efforts

aimed at this goal already are underway.

 

Projects are being developed through a regional coordinating group called

the Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota (BALMM) and

implemented mainly through local governments.  The projects deal with

feedlots, pasture management, and failing septic systems.  Additional

projects are being planned for the near future, according to Kevin

Scheidecker, BALMM chair and manager of the Fillmore County Soil and Water

Conservation District.  "The way to get things done is through local

government," he said. "They're the implementers."

 

The state's first TMDL is innovative in that it deals with 20 individual

stream segments in a single study, rather than doing a separate study for

each segment.  It was done in close consultation with local government

organizations, and many of its recommendations will be implemented through

these and other partners in a coordinated, inter-agency process.

 

FULL 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.

 

 

IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS UNDERWAY, MORE BEING PREPARED: Several major

projects are underway to reduce sources of fecal coliform and additional

pollutants in the Lower Mississippi River Basin of Southeast Minnesota, and

several more are in the planning phase. All together, these efforts are

helping to provide reasonable assurance that the 65 percent reduction in

fecal coliform sources will occur over the next 8-10 years. Currently, a

project to build local capacity to implement the Open Lot Agreement is well

underway in eight counties, through a 319 grant received by the Southeast

Minnesota Water Resources Board. The same organization will shortly receive

additional 319  funding  to implement another major project to address

improperly designed septic systems throughout the basin. Also, the Board of

Water and Soil Resources will soon receive 319 funding to promote managed

rotational grazing in a 4-county area of the basin. All together, funding

for these three efforts adds up to about $1.2 million.  They have been used

mainly to increase local capacity to implement BMPs, rather than providing

direct incentives to landowners.

 

With the completion of the Regional TMDL, organizations in the basin will be

eligible for 319 funding earmarked exclusively for TMDL project

implementation. This could include additional basinwide efforts or localized

projects. Projects being developed through BALMM for possible future funding

include: 1) cost-share funds to implement Open Lot Agreement feedlot fixes;

2) manure management planning incentives; 3) promotion of remote watering

and fencing to limit cattle access to streams; 4) establishment of

county-based revolving loan programs to fund septic system repairs for

noncompliant on-site systems. The CREP proposal recently developed by BALMM

also would provide major runoff protection by buffering fields where manure

is applied.  And, the conservation title of the new farm bill includes major

funding increases for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and other

programs that could be used to provide cost-share for a wide range of

activities that will help to reduce bacteria runoff and contamination.

BALMM will attempt to coordinate the use of federal, state and local funding

and related resources in finalizing implementation strategies for major

sources of fecal coliform bacteria.

 

WATERSHED CHAPTERS PROVIDE LOCAL DETAIL: Section II of the Regional TMDL

study includes information on individual impaired reaches and the watersheds

that drain to them. This information is organized by major watershed.

Monitoring data from specific reaches are displayed in detailed color

charts, along with a watershed map and information on local sources of fecal

coliform pollution.  Also included is a discussion about whether the degree

of impairment is equal to or greater than the basinwide median value, and

suggestions about how basinwide source allocations and reduction scenarios

may need to be adjusted to take into account local conditions, particularly

where impairment levels are relatively high. Additional monitoring to assist

in improved targeting of major sources also is recommended for certain

watersheds. These chapters can serve as a starting point for developing more

detailed plans for addressing fecal coliform bacteria impairments at the

local level.

 

 

Other News

 

NEXT BALMM MEETING JULY 17: Topics will include a DNR Southeast Minnesota

Stream GIS Initiative (see next item); forming teams for the Karst Campaign

Work Plan, led by Roger Steinberg of University Extension; a discussion of

projects underway to implement the Regional TMDL for Fecal Coliform

Bacteria, including rotational grazing, stream exclusion, feedlot cost share

for the Open Lot Agreement, manure management planning incentives, and ideas

for correcting problems with on-site septic systems and unsewered

communities. Finally, we'll take stock of BALMM - progress made so far,

leadership, and organizational matters. The meeting will be from 9-12 at

MPCA in Rochester... The August 21 BALMM meeting will be held at Whitewater

State Park.

 

DNR TO PRESENT SE MINNESOTA STREAM GIS INITIATIVE:  At the next BALMM

meeting July 17, at MPCA in Rochester, Rick Nelson and Jamie Shultz of the

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Region 5 Fisheries, will present

an overview of a project designed to better organize stream data. Region 5

Fisheries hired a GIS specialist in January 2001 to begin working on linking

their database to the DNR24K streams layer. Although this process is not

completed, it is at a point where sharing what has been completed and where

the work is going may be of interest to other agencies and organizations

that work and collect data in southeast Minnesota. It appears that there is

a disconnect between and sometimes within organizations when it comes to

sharing data. People don't know where to look for what has been completed,

or for what is currently being worked on. The DNR24K streams layer is one

option that is available to help organize data collection. This could allow

organizations to share what they are working on and the information that has

been collected to avoid duplication of effort.

 

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 FIELD DAY JULY 10: Art, Jean and Dan Thicke are holding a

field day the afternoon of July 10 on their farm near La Crescent, to show

the results of last year's outdoor wintering system on forages and pastures.

Art will show his 90 Ayrshire cows and his rotational grazing system on some

of the steepest, most scenic slopes of southeast Minnesota. Registration is

from 12:30 to 1:00 pm. Call 507-643-6246 for more details.

 

MINNESOTA PLANNING RELEASES "WATER PRIORITIES" FOR 2004-05:

The Environmental Quality Board of the Planning Department has approved five

priorities for water-related elements of the state's biennial budget.  These

were developed through the Governor's Water Unification Initiative

(Executive Order 99-15), in which BALMM participated. These priorities are:

*       Improve the monitoring and assessment of Minnesota's waters;

*       Help agriculture protect, restore and enhance Minnesota's waters;

*       Manage water for smart growth;

*       Take new steps to protect Minnesota's lakes;

*       Secure stable financing for Minnesota's waters.

 

The second priority in the list mentions the Lower Mississippi River Basin,

and reads as follows: "Row crop agriculture takes place on about 40 percent

of Minnesota's land surface. This percentage is much higher in the Minnesota

and Lower Mississippi river basins. Animal confinement facilities are also

prevalent in these areas. This priority will build on the federal 2002 Farm

Security and Rural Improvement Act to enhance the sustainability of

Minnesota's agricultural industry. It will target conservation efforts to

critical areas, including highly erosive lands, watersheds with set total

maximum daily loads (i.e., TMDLs), source water protection area needs, and

areas sensitive to ground water contamination. Targeting may require and

allow shifts in the allocation of state resources, both to ensure effective

use of federal funds and to give needed sate attention to other priorities.

Another need is to build on the sensitive area delineations developed by the

Department of Natural Resources in response to the Ground Water Protection

Act of 1989. The goal is to identify suitable activities and land uses for

the state's most vulnerable areas consistent with state ground water and

drinking water protection policy."

 

The EQB also identified "key elements" of the state's water program that

should be maintained should further cuts in state funding be required:

*       The ability to monitor and understand Minnesota's water resources

and important threats to them;

*       Water-related data management and information-sharing tools and

expertise;

*       Integrity of the basic water regulatory program.

 

The full report can be viewed at:

http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/eqb/pdf/2002/WaterUnificationFinal.pdf

 

 

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