Lanya Ross, Metropolitan Council for the Interagency Groundwater/Drinking Water Team MGWA Spring Conference April 19, 2012
to protect drinking water sources to protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat to preserve arts and cultural heritage to support parks and trails to protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater
to protect, enhance, and restore Aid targeting efforts to protect and restore drinking, surface, and ground water resources statewide Increase source water protection efforts
Water Interest Constituencies Public: Drinking water/health, Recreation NGOs: Environmental protection and justice Agriculture Industry/Commerce: Power generation, ethanol Clean Water Fund Recommendations
Inter-agency Coordination Team EO level Communications Data integration Groundwater / drinking water Implementation Measures / outcomes Protection / restoration strategy development Surface water monitoring / assessment Research
Ground Water State Agency Roles Quality Quantity MDA: Pesticides Fertilizer MDH: Public water supply & well code MPCA: Chemical releases Industrial pollutants DNR: Water supply/availability Recharge/infiltration water table water quality monitoring wells water table aquifer water supply wells (private & public) water quality monitoring wells confining layer buried aquifer water level monitoring wells confining layer bedrock aquifer Adapted from work by Laurel Reeves, DNR Waters
Clean Water Fund Proposals
Increased nitrate monitoring, investigation and remediation of groundwater/drinking water (MDA) Expanded emerging contaminant research (MDH, MPCA, MDA) Accelerated wellhead protection and grants for development and implementation (MDH) Expanded water supply evaluation and protection (DNR, MPCA, Met Council) Expanded shallow aquifer ambient monitoring network (MPCA)
Drinking Water Protection: $17M Monitoring/ assessment activities: $23.4M Water quality study/ development: $34.9M On the ground protection/ restoration activities: $104.1M $179.43 Million 10% 13% 58% 19%
Agency Clean Water Fund Project BWSR Riparian Buffer Easement Program Subsurface Sewage Treatment System Enhancement Projects Wellhead Protection Conservation Easement Program DNR Knowlton Creek Watershed Study MN Arrowhead Region LIDAR Acquisition MDA Clay County Drainage Demonstration Site Discovery Farms Minnesota Highway 90 Drainage Demonstration Site Le Sueur River and Little Beauford Ditch Acetochlor Impairment Response Project Pesticides Monitoring Program Pilot Project Conservation on Agricultural Lands Pilot Project Monitoring Edge-of-Field Surface Runoff Precision Conservation: Targeting Clean Water Implementation Root River Field to Stream Partnership Statewide Groundwater and Drinking Water Protection Statewide Technical Assistance Water Research Database MDH Arsenic Level Prediction Model Drinking Water Contaminants of Emerging Concern Source Water Protection Grant Program Source Water Protection Plans Met Council Metropolitan Water Supply Planning MPCA Ambient Groundwater Monitoring Activities Clean Water Partnership Grant Program Technical Assistance Contamination of Stormwater Pond Sediments by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Minnesota TMDL Database Development and Civic Engagement Support TMDL Technical Assistance/Project Oversight Water Monitoring Section Activities Water Monitoring Section Field Activities
Source: 2012 Clean Water Fund Performance Report
www.legacy.leg.mn/funds/clean-water-fund Opportunities for funding Individual project summaries Clean Water Fund Performance Report
Interagency effort Clarify connections between investments actions taken outcomes achieved 13
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The state is on track with its investments Of the 18 measures, status and trends vary Six measures showed improving trends Seven were too early to assess One showed a declining trend Investment measures trend information not included More progress reported on short-term actions taken than long term outcomes achieved 15
Source water protection plans Nitrate monitoring and reduction activities Contaminants of emerging concern Chemicals in MN s groundwater Source water quality changes Nitrate concentrations in new wells
Status: Trend: Met target for FY10-11 On track to meet long-term target
$319,700 Project Contact: Donna Rasmussen Fillmore County SWCD Stressor identification Interpretation of SE MN s karst landscape
Status: Trend: 20 new guidance values for FY10-11 On track for FY12-13 target Expanding outreach and education
$640,000 Project Contact: Deborah Swackhamer University of Minnesota Zumbro River Watershed Associate CECs with land uses Identify indicator compounds Science-based recommendations
Pesticide & Nitrate Status: Pesticide Trend: Nitrate Trend:? Decreasing pesticides Nitrate levels exceed drinking standards
Status: Trend: Although nitrate levels in < 1% of new wells exceed the drinking water standard, there is a slight increase in recent years
$58,826 Project Contact: Douglas Hartwig Director, USDA-NASS Manure applications Nitrogen fertilizer rates, timing, use of nitrogen inhibitors
Questions?