Wetland easements fix ditch, create water storage, habitat A Lincoln County project that saved farmers $175,000, curbed Sterzinger flooding and attracted waterfowl could become a statewide model. Landowners, and local, state and federal partners made it work.

IVANHOE — A restored project in Lincoln Olsen County could become a statewide model for The restored on achieving less costly Steve Snyder’s Lincoln agricultural ditch repairs County land, seen in 2019, filled shortly after work with water storage, flood was complete. Above: mitigation and wildlife Snyder grew up hunting habitat benefits. waterfowl, and now raises English setters.Left: Stan The project 4 miles west Gorecki raised sheep and Netzke of Ivanhoe saved farmers ran nearly 1,000 acres PROJECT on the County Ditch 37 of corn and soybeans PARTNERS: system about $175,000 in Lincoln County. Now Landowners; in shared assessments. It retired, he still hunts. Royal, Hendricks Contributed Photos townships; involves three properties, Lincoln SWCD; starting with a 2001 Lincoln County; Conservation Reserve Yellow Medicine River watershed, which said Dale Sterzinger, Lincoln Enhancement Program feeds the Minnesota River. & Water Conservation River Watershed (CREP) enrollment, District; Area II; District manager. Beckler BWSR; Minnesota and a 2015 Reinvest in “It’s such a multi-benefit Department of Minnesota (RIM) easement project. It’s good for the Before township, Transportation; immediately upstream. A environment, good for county, state and federal USDA’s Natural Resources third property involves a flood control — and when cooperation made the Conservation flowage easement. All lie you control flooding you alternative possible, Service within the Yellow Medicine reduce other pollutants,” about 100 landowners on From left: On Stan Gorecki’s 60-acre RIM easement, Area II helped to design and install a pump station that lifts water 12 feet from tile that’s part of Lincoln County Ditch 37. Water pumped by the lift station from the tile first enters this basin, seen after snowmelt in April 2018. Raising a township road made it possible to increase floodwater storage on Steve Snyder’s land to 61 acre-feet.Photo Credits: Area II Minnesota River Basin Projects the 29-mile-long County Ditch a geological formation 1,000 37 system would have shared feet higher than the the $225,000 repair cost. below — results in 50-foot- The alternative cost the ditch I really feel those are some of the better per-mile elevation drops system about $50,000. “things I’ve done in my life. It’s lasting. within the Yellow Medicine River watershed. The original plan rerouted a It’s helping the environment, and it’s just 2-mile-long branch around “As the snow melts or as the the wetlands. An inspection something I wanted to do. rain falls and it hits those revealed the 100-year-old real steep slopes, it gains — Steve Snyder, landowner tile was crumbling, leaving that velocity and that force holes 15 feet in diameter. The that creates those erosion entire County Ditch 37 system problems as it reaches is evenly split between open “I’ve got ideas (for) at least a model for the entire” state. those below. By ditch and tile. three more sites in Lincoln It’s very much a success story,” incorporating floodwater County where I believe it Sterzinger said. retention projects onto Lincoln County Environmental would be beneficial to the the landscape, we can Office Director Robert Olsen members of the (ditch) The pump station on Stan basically stop that rain or is the county ditch inspector systems — and to meet the Gorecki’s 60-acre RIM wetland that snowmelt where it’s who oversees the public ditch goals of the DNR and BWSR restoration can convey 1,100 happening and meter it out system. It includes about 153 and Area II in improving water gallons per minute. It lifts slowly,” Netzke said. miles of tile and 118 miles of quality, improving habitat water 12 feet from the tile “We’ve got some of the most open ditch — counting shared conditions, establishing and sends it south through productive agricultural lands jurisdiction with Lyon County. new habitat for wildlife, and Steve Snyder’s 76-acre CREP in the nation in Minnesota. In 1921, the system was built providing an area where you wetland restoration to a culvert at Minnesota Highway By taking that (water) out of to remove surface water so can store some stormwater 19. There, it becomes a Yellow that tile system and allowing land could be grazed or hayed. and then release it slowly,” Olsen said. Medicine River tributary. it to be retained and slowed “Now we are trying to farm in these wetland restorations, In this case, easements plus “By putting all this agricultural (it’s) better all the way around that. We’re trying to raise runoff through a wetland, we row crops in these basins. state bonding dollars via for recharge, for Area II Minnesota River Basin hoped that we could remove wildlife, for the floodwater The problem is the system some of the nutrient load. We was never designed to Projects, a Marshall-based retention benefit,” Netzke joint powers board, made could certainly remove the said. accommodate large amounts sediment load. By putting it of subsurface drainage. it possible to install a pump station and disconnect the tile. into this wetland system and “We’re sending the cleaner Modern tiling technology and working with Kerry (Netzke), water downstream,” she said. the desire to drain areas for Area II used part of its bonding we could actually create some agricultural production are fund allocation from the state stormwater storage,” Olsen The Yellow Medicine River not consistent with the initial legislature to cover 75% of the said. Watershed District set flood intent of the original drainage pump station’s $141,445 cost. control as a top priority for systems. They would need to Benefiting landowners’ share Area II Executive Director its One Watershed, One Plan be much larger,” Olsen said. included legal fees. Kerry Netzke explained — a targeted, science-based why floodwater retention approach to watershed-wide As the infrastructure fails, “Seeing a restoration on a is important in the region, management. Sterzinger more repairs will become public drainage system (was where the Buffalo Ridge — said the 10-year plan aimed necessary. unusual). Now I see it as being AKA the Coteau de Prairies, to create 1,000 acre-feet of storage on the land via payment sounded fair. structural practices. Snyder described what drove “Everybody across the state is his purchase of the CREP land going to run into this looking in 2012: at flood control, and they have to look at their public drainage “My dad started bringing me systems as part of their plan. pheasant hunting and duck This is going to be a model hunting when I was 8 years showing how you can relate old. I just always enjoyed the two together,” Sterzinger growing up out there, and said. The view looking north on April 3, 2020, shows the restored wetlands I just felt like this is a good at their maximum water-holding capacity. The Snyder property is to thing for the environment, By creating 138.5 acre-feet the west, the Steffe flowage easement is to the east, and the Gorecki No. 1, and it was a good of storage, Sterzinger said property is straight north of Snyder’s land. Photo Credit: Lincoln SWCD legacy to leave for future the project not only achieved generations,” Snyder said. more than 10% of that 10- year goal but also protected Easement Definitions The first habitat restoration Granite Falls from flooding. RIM: These conservation protect the land, curb he undertook joined the easements secure legal erosion, restore wildlife Minnesota Department of Gorecki’s land features a rights and restrictions habitat and protect Natural Resources’ Rolling 33-acre permanent pool, on future land use. Land groundwater and surface Hills and Clifton wildlife and nearly 78 acre-feet of remains privately owned. water. The state-federal management areas east of floodwater storage from a BWSR administers the partnership includes Marshall in Lyon County. 233-acre watershed. Snyder’s Reinvest in Minnesota land simultaneously That transaction — plus land features a 23-acre program. enrolled in the renting out the tillable half permanent pool. Raising a USDA’s Farm Service of the 160 acres in Lincoln township road increased CREP: The voluntary Agency-administered County — balanced the CREP floodwater storage to 61 Conservation Reserve Conservation Reserve land purchase. acre-feet from a 101-acre Enhancement Program Program for up to 15 “I really feel those are some watershed. On Alan Steffes’ takes environmentally years, and in the state’s of the better things I’ve done land, a 7.8-acre flowage sensitive farmland Reinvest in Minnesota in my life. It’s lasting. It’s easement made it possible to out of production to program. raise the road. helping the environment, and it’s just something I Since the work finished project. There’s a lot of aging of wet years immediately wanted to do.” Snyder said. in November 2017, it has drainage infrastructure in the preceded the RIM wetland withstood rains that typically southwest part of the state.” sign-up period. The CREP land had been happen once every 10 years. seeded with a grass. Cattails November 2019 maintenance In this case, communication “If you got a big rain like grew in the bottomland. only required cattail clearing. among conservation workers we usually get during the and landowners allowed summer, it would either “After we had it for a few Waterfowl appeared as soon action when funds become drown out (the crop) or years, I started seeing that as the basins filled. Pheasants available. stunt it. It just wasn’t always it wanted to be a slough so and other wildlife populated the best, but we farmed it,” bad that we should make it restored upland habitat. “Without a RIM easement Gorecki said of the 59.8-acre back into a slough,” Snyder program or a CREP program said. “The other nice thing “Now we’ve got water that’s RIM wetlands easement in the early 2000s this project recorded in 2015. about the slough is it helped being treated through a fully would never have happened,” to diversify that land.” restored wetland basin,” said Beckler said. “This wetland “(W)hen they came with this Jason Beckler, Marshall-based will be restored perpetually. ... program, I asked my renter Sterzinger described the BWSR board conservationist. That’s what the RIM program at the time what he would wetlands today as full of “Everybody wins. You’ve got brings to the table.” do. He said he would go water and fully functional. improved drainage. You’ve along with them,” Gorecki When the native species mix got a water-treatment aspect, The project evolved over said. flourishes, grasses, shrubs you’ve got wildlife. … We’d several years. Failing and conifers will provide love to replicate this kind of infrastructure, and a series The $322,720 RIM easement cover for wildlife.

The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources’ mission is to improve and protect Minnesota’s water and soil resources by working in partnership with local organizations and private landowners. Website: www.bwsr.state.mn.us