Watershed Achievements Report
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Watershed Achievements Report 2006 Annual Report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Clean Water Act Section 319 and Clean Water Partnership Projects in Minnesota September 2006 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Watershed Achievements Report 2006 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 2006 Annual Report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Clean Water Act Section 319 and Clean Water Partnership Projects in Minnesota Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................1 LARS and eLINK results for 319/CWP projects, 1997-2006 ............................................5 Project summaries for 2005-06 ...............................................................................................8 CWP Projects ...........................................................................................................................9 319 Projects .......................................................................................................................... 26 TMDL Projects ...................................................................................................................... 39 Projects awarded in 2006 ....................................................................................................... 50 Projects currently active ......................................................................................................... 54 Projects completed history .................................................................................................... 68 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 520 Lafayette Road North St. Paul, MN 55155 (651) 296-6300 or toll-free (800) 657-3864 www.pca.state.mn.us Cover photo: © Explore Minnesota Tourism Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us 3 Watershed Achievements Report 2006 Introduction enturies ago, the Dakota gave the name Minisota, local efforts to assess, protect and restore the state’s meaning “water that reflects the sky,” to the river waters. This approach focuses on the state’s 10 major Cnow called the Minnesota River. Years later that river basins and multiple watersheds, providing data, translation inspired our state’s name and its famous technical assistance, and training to obtain results. slogan, “Land of Sky Blue Waters.” However, even in this water-rich state, clean water has become a great concern. This is reflected in a years-long effort that culminated in Water under stress the 2006 legislative session in the Clean Water Legacy A 2003 MPCA study looked at stresses on Minnesota’s Act (see Impaired Waters Section for more information). environment, using scientific data, public perception, Many partners, agencies and funders are involved in population projections, federal mandates, and legislative working on protecting Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and intent. The study pointed to concerns about deteriorating streams, and in restoring those waters which are impaired water quality. Among the top five stressors identified or otherwise do not meet water-quality standards. were phosphorus, transported sediments, and habitat modification. The primary sources of pollution were The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is one of agricultural runoff, urban runoff, and pesticide use. The many entities involved addressing nonpoint-source MPCA has reported that point sources contribute 14 percent water pollution, through administration of funds made of the state’s water pollution and nonpoint sources 86 available under Section 319 of the federal Clean Water percent. A recent report, St.Croix Basin Phosphorus-Based Act and the state’s Clean Water Partnership (CWP) Nutrient Goals, came up with a 20-percent point-source to program. This report focuses on the successes and 80-percent nonpoint-source estimate for that basin, adding progress resulting from these two activities. to evidence that nonpoint-source pollution is the primary problem facing Minnesota’s waters. The MPCA’s water programs operate under a geographically based watershed approach to support Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us 1 Watershed Achievements Report 2006 Setting goals The MPCA works with partners to achieve these aims in The goals and objectives of the MPCA’s strategic plan for many ways, including the Section 319 and CWP programs water quality are: and related funding. Under Section 319, the states: n Assess the status or condition of Minnesota’s ground- n Identify the nonpoint-source controls necessary. water systems. n Specify the programs that will apply the controls. n Prevent or reduce degradation and depletion of ground n Certify that the state has adequate authorities to water. implement these measures. n Assess the chemical, physical and biological integrity n Identify all sources of funding for these programs. of lakes, streams and wetlands to identify if designated n Establish a schedule for implementation. uses are being met and provide information on the condition of waters. The goals of the CWP include: n Maintain and enhance the chemical, physical and n Diagnosing problems and threats to water resources biological integrity of Minnesota lakes, streams n Developing solutions for reducing the impacts of and wetlands so that water-quality standards and nonpoint-source pollution on water resources designated uses are met and degradation is prevented. n Implementing these solutions. n Restore the chemical, physical and biological integrity of Minnesota lakes, streams and wetlands that do not An interagency Project Coordination Team (established support designated uses. in statute) assists the MPCA in prioritizing Section 319 and CWP grant applications that target polluted waters The strategic plan includes environmental indicators and demonstrate a good chance of success. Financial that are reported upon regularly. This plan is setting the and in-kind contributions from local sponsors and their stage for convergence of point- and nonpoint-source communities are substantial, exceeding the 50-percent programs. The watershed model is the umbrella under match requirement in most cases. which all activities take place, and TMDL studies and implementation plans will be a major tool. The MPCA’s statewide five-year Nonpoint Source Management Statewide impacts Program Plan is available on the MPCA Web site at To date we’ve assessed about 10 percent of the state’s www.pca.state.mn.us/water/nonpoint/mplan.html. streams and 16 percent of its lakes for impairments. About 40 percent of these have been found impaired (other Partners in water quality states report finding similar rates of impairments). The state’s goal is to complete assessment of all waters by Reducing nonpoint-source water pollution requires: 2015. With more than 11,000 lakes (10 acres or larger) and n Partnerships among all levels of government 92,000 miles of streams in the state, it’s clear we can expect n Partnerships among government, businesses and to find thousands more impairments in the coming years. citizens n Understanding the impact of individual actions on Data regarding the cumulative reductions in phosphorus, common water resources soil loss and sedimentation statewide have been available n Local efforts placed in the context of entire watersheds from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources’ n Research aimed at diagnosing impairments and Local Annual Reporting System (LARS), with an upgrade to targeting resources toward the biggest problems the system called “eLINK” now in place (statistics appear at facing specific water resources the front of this report). Minnesota also works with other n Public awareness, education and action states and nations on protecting and improving water n Information and data sharing resources. Among cooperative interstate/international n Leveraging resources to achieve the greatest benefits projects: at the least cost. 2 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us Watershed Achievements Report 2006 n Partnership with Great Lakes states and Canada on don’t really tell much about what happened in the zero discharge of nine toxic chemicals environment. n Joint water-quality monitoring in the Rainy River Basin 2. The second level, social indicators, are those indicators with Canada that measure changes in society or individual n A joint Minnesota/Wisconsin St. Croix Basin Planning behaviors that affect the environment. These Team outcomes reflect the social orientation of many n Interstate work in the upper Mississippi River basin, nonpoint-source management activities that foster which impacts four of Minnesota’s 10 major basins incremental progress toward improving water quality, n Participation in Red River basin planning and such as activities aimed at increasing understanding management, including membership on Red River and awareness, supporting watershed organizations, Basin Commission, International Joint Commission Red and building local capacity for planning and problem- River Board, and the Transboundary Water Issues Group, solving. As intermediate measures, social indicators a multistate and binational issues interest group that also provide meaningful information regarding communicates regularly about Red River matters. movement toward water-quality objectives over short- term project timeframes, during which actual water- quality changes usually are not detectable. Looking Forward 3. The third level is to measure actual changes in the At the same time that funding for nonpoint-source environment.