CROW RIVER ORGANIZATION OF WATER 2007 ANNUAL REPORT

Transcription

1 CROW RIVER ORGANIZATION OF WATER 2007 ANNUAL REPORT Improving water quality in the Crow River Basin through educational outreach and collaboration with our partners and citizens. 311 Brighton Ave, Suite C Buffalo, MN 55313

2 2007 JOINT POWERS BOARD Charles Woehler Sibley County, Chair Don Otte Stearns County, Vice Chair Paul Setzepfandt, Renville County 2nd Vice Chair Ron Kutzke Meeker County, Treasurer Ray Bayerl, McLeod County Secretary Tim Lynch, Carver County Randy Shaw, Pope County Dennis Peterson, Kandiyohi County Jack Russek, Wright County Penny Steele, Hennepin County CROW STAFF Diane Sander Watershed Coordinator Jenny Gieseke Watershed Specialist 2

3 IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS Working Together to Improve Water Quality The Working Together to Improve Water Quality project provides financial incentives to landowners for the implementation of best management practices that will improve water quality in the Crow River Basin. In addition, this project funds education initiatives and water quality monitoring in the Buffalo Creek Management Area. Funding for this project is provided through a MPCA 319 grant. Buffalo Creek is a major tributary of the South Fork Crow River and has its confluence near Lester Prairie. Buffalo Creek is listed as impaired on the d Impaired Waters list. Lake Marion, Lake Allie, Lake Preston, along with Buffalo Creek are the only water resources for recreational opportunities in the management area. Spring and summer recreational activities include: canoeing, fishing, and swimming. Fall and winter recreational activities include hunting, snowmobiling and ATV riding. It is imperative to continue to maintain a focused effort to succeed in restoring Buffalo Creek, a scarce recreational water resource located in the BCMA. Pope Stearns Buffalo Creek Management Area In 2007 the CROW worked with local partners and landowners to get acres of land enrolled in the CRP Program by providing a one time 100 per acre signing bonus. Two rain garden projects and one bank stabilization project was installed to reduce nutrients entering into Buffalo Creek. In addition, 25 septic systems were upgraded using low interest loan money attached to this grant. Kandiyohi Renville Meeker McLeod Sibley Wright Carver Hennepin Rural Water Quality Improvement Project In November of 2007, the CROW received word from the MPCA that our application for our Improving Water Quality in the Crow River Basin project was approved. This project will also be funded through the MPCA s 319 grant program, and will focus on implementation and education projects in the western portion of the watershed. Portions of McLeod, Meeker, Renville, Stearns, Kandiyohi and Wright Counties are included in this project. Some water quality monitoring will also be covered under this grant. This project is in its initial planning stages, but is anticipated to start sometime in late

4 EDUCATION ACTIVITIES Volunteer Monitoring Grant In 2007 the CROW partnered with the Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District (MFCRWD) to offer expanded Volunteer Monitoring opportunities in the Crow River Watershed. With funding from the Clean Water Legacy Program, the CROW worked with the MFCRWD and Minnesota Waters to offer 2 Stream and Lake Monitoring Training Courses. The trainings were held in Maple Lake and in Spicer and were attended by 44 volunteers. Participants in the trainings received hands on instruction on lake and stream monitoring. They also received equipment, datasheets and materials necessary to conduct monitoring on their own. In 2007, participants from the trainings collectively monitored 32 Stream/River sites and 17 Lake Sites in the Crow River Watershed. The citizen volunteers collected data using T- tubes and Secchi Disks, and pulled samples that were analyzed for TP, TSS, TKN and Chl a. The CROW and the Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District are incorporating the data collected by the volunteers into their regular data assessments. Through this project, the CROW and the MFCRWD have been able to enhance our training programs and outreach efforts, allowing us to recruit and retain additional citizen volunteers for both lake and stream monitoring. Data from the volunteers is used to evaluate water quality throughout the watershed. Crow River Clean Up Day Muddy feet, a sore back and pride in a job well done are the rewards of the volunteers that took part in the 4th annual Crow River Clean Up Day on Saturday September 15, A total of 320 citizens from 13 communities across the Crow River Watershed donated their time to remove garbage and debris from the banks of the Crow River and its tributaries. In addition to the many citizens that donated their time, 50 local businesses, organizations and communities also contributed to the event. Communities that participated in the 2007 event included Buffalo, Brownton/Stewart, Forest City Township, Hanover, Hassan Township, Hutchinson, Glencoe, Middleville Township, New London/Spicer, Paynesville, Rockford, St. Michael and Watertown. In total, the clean up resulted in the removal of approximately 10.9 tons of trash from over 32 miles of shoreline. In the four years that the CROW has been organizing a watershed wide clean up, 30 tons of trash has been removed from over 118 miles of shoreline. Over 1,040 volunteers have participated in the clean up in the past 4 years. The event is gaining recognition state wide as well. This year, the clean up in Rockford was featured on KSTP Channel 5 News at 6 & 10 p.m the day of the Clean Up. 4

5 Earth Day Celebration at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center On April 21, 2007 the CROW worked in cooperation with the Chippewa River Watershed Project, Shakopee Creek Headwaters Project, Hawk Creek Watershed Project, Middle Fork and North Fork Watershed Districts, Kandiyohi SWCD, DNR and Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center to hold the third annual regional Earth Day Event Conservation Pays: Bank on the Future. Over 450 people came to the event that featured an omelet breakfast, exhibit booths that connect everyday lifestyle choices with environmental issues, keynote speaker J. Drake Hamilton and local legislative panel disscussion. Citizen Stream Monitoring Program The CROW Citizen Stream Monitoring Program offers an opportunity for volunteers from around the watershed to monitor the transparency of a local stream or river. Volunteers enrolled in the CROW program are also part of the MPCA s statewide Citizen Stream Monitoring Program. Volunteers take readings once/week from April through October. The CROW uses the volunteer data to determine which streams are in need of further assessment. In 2007, 29 volunteers monitored 51 stream and river sites in the Crow River Watershed. Other Outreach/Education Activities The CROW uses several methods to promote water quality awareness throughout the watershed. Youth Education - CROW staff visits local schools and youth groups to provide hands on environmental education experiences to area youth. In 2007 we participated in the Hutchinson 7 th Grade Water Education Program with Prarie Woods Environmental Learning Center. This is a 4 day program during which students exposed to numerous stations to learn about water quality. CROW staff also assisted the Paynesville Trail Guards, Wright SWCD Environmental Field Days and St. Michael/Albertville Junior & Senior Environmental Studies Classes. E-Currents - the CROW creates and distributes an electronic newsletter via approximately 6 times per year. The newsletter shares information about area water quality issues as well as the CROW s and area partners current projects. Website - the CROW s website, was created with assistance from the Association of Minnesota Counties. It provides information about the CROW and our current and past projects. There s even a kids page. Storm Drain Markers The CROW has storm drain stencils and decals available for use in communities throughout the watershed. Volunteers place the decals or paint using the stencils alongside storm drains. The message reads don t dump, drains to river to remind residents that storm water is not pretreated prior to entering our local lakes and rivers. Informational door hangars are distributed to homes in the areas where the stenciling occurs to explain the project further. Education Committee The education committee was created in mid 2007 as a direct result of our Strategic Plan. One of the first projects the Education Committee undertook is a Press Release schedule. Each month in 2008 has been assigned a topic and the CROW or one of its partners is responsible for distributing a press release to local newspapers and area partners. The committee is comprised of local partners from around the watershed who are interested in increasing education activities relating to water quality. The committee meets quarterly. 5

6 MONITORING ACTIVITIES The CROW s 2007 stream monitoring was conducted for two separate projects. The first was to continue baseline monitoring and note any improvements in water quality in the Buffalo Creek area that could be attributed to implementation activities funded through our 319 grant. The second project was preliminary TMDL testing in the lower portion of the watershed. The monitoring sites are shown on the following map, and the parameters are listed below Monitoring Locations Pope Stearns Kandiyohi Meeker Wright Hennepin Renville McLeod Carver Sibley Legend Implementation Monitoring Sites Pre TMDL Monitoring Sites Implementation Monitoring Sites 4 locations Glencoe Brownton JD 15 CSAH 24 Parameters: TP, TSS & chloride, NO2-NO3, BOD, E. coli Pre-TMDL Work 4 locations Trib SM Rockford Delano CD 31 Parameters: TP, TSS, OP, Chloride, NO2-NO3, TKN, BOD, E. coli 6

7 TMDL Projects The CROW continues to work in partnership with the MPCA on the North Fork Crow River TMDL project. This portion of the river is listed for Turbidity, low DO and Fecal Coliform. We are entering Phase II of the project, which will include one year of monitoring to fill in gaps in water quality data identified during Phase 1 by Brown and Caldwell, the consulting firm working on the project. The CROW will be holding public meetings later this year and in early 2009 to review data findings and to determine the next steps in the project. TMDL work will begin in the Buffalo Creek Watershed this spring. The CROW is in the early stages of creating a workplan similar to the format followed in the North Fork Area. Phase I will include extensive review of existing data on Buffalo Creek and it s tributaries. Phase II will involve any monitoring necessary to fill in data gaps. And Phase III will include the actual loading allocations for Buffalo Creek. Throughout the process, the CROW will work closely with the MPCA, Buffalo Creek Watershed District and local partners to ensure full participation by involved parties. OTHER ACTIVITIES Strategic Plan In January of 2007, the CROW began working on our Strategic Plan. The first step in this process took place on January 26, when we worked with our partners during a six hour session, facilitated by the University of Minnesota Extension Service. During this session, we explored the current efforts of the CROW, identified upcoming opportunities and discussed potential improvements in the overall mission of the CROW. Over 75 partners from across the watershed took part in the January 26 session. The contributions from our partners were used by the CROW staff and Board over the following months as we reexamined our mission and our current workload and set long and short term goals. The Strategic Plan was adopted by the CROW Joint Powers Board on May 3, 2007 and can be viewed on our website at Funding for the Strategic Planning Process was provided by the Upper Mississippi River Source Water Protection Project. 7

8 PARTNERS The CROW works in cooperation with local, state and federal partners from across the watershed and around the state. We are also fortunate to have participation from citizens and volunteers from around the watershed. Some of our partners include: Soil & Water Conservation Districts and NRCS offices from all 10 Joint Powers Counties Environmental Services/Planning and Zoning Departments from all 10 Joint Powers Counties, Area NRCS offices Prairie Country RC&D Council North Fork Crow River Watershed District Buffalo Creek Watershed District Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District Upper Mississippi River Source Water Protection Project Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Board of Water and Soil Resources Department of Natural Resources Metropolitan Council Cities South Fork Crow River Association Area Lake Associations Citizens Contact Information Diane Sander, Coordinator CROW 311 Brighton Ave, Suite C st Ave Buffalo, MN New Ulm, MN Jenny Gieseke, Watershed Specialist CROW Ext diane.sander@mn.nacdnet.net crowriverorg@yahoo.com website: 8