Soil & Water Conservation District Guidebook 2008 - Minnesota ...

Pictured: This shoreline restoration on Loon Lake is one of
many projects where the SWCD works with landowners to
install conservation practices that improve water quality.
Over 8,000 aquatic and upland native
forbs and grasses were planted with the volunteer help of
the local Garden club, Waseca Lakes Association members,
and the Loon Lake Lakeshed committee to restore an area
of degraded shoreline on Loon Lake. In 2002 the Waseca
SWCD submitted a DNR Shoreline Habitat Restoration
grant requesting to restore this area. The project proposal
was submitted with the cooperation of the Waseca Lakes
Association and the city of Waseca. The established width
of the 1,100 feet of shoreline buffer was 35 feet. As a result
of the success of that project, the SWCD continues to work
with landowners annually on Loon Lake with projects
installed at various stages. The SWCD has also completed
several shoreline restoration sites on Clear Lake and Lake
Elysian.
The Waseca SWCD has partnered
with SWCD offi ces in Freeborn, Blue Earth and Faribault
Counties to focus on the Big Cobb watershed located in
portions of all four counties. The 303(d) list of Impaired
Waters has listed reaches within the Big Cobb watershed
for biota. The grant will provide Cost-Share funding to
landowners to install conservation practices, including water
retention ponds and funding for technical services provided
by the Zone 10 Joint Powers staff. The Big Cobb is the top
contributor to the LeSueur River for Total Suspended Solids
and total phosphorus.
Waseca Soil & Water Conservation District
2005 Expenditures by category
Monitoring / Research --
Education / Outreach $7,872
Wetland Conservation Act $29,750
Cost Share / project construction,
implementation and maintenance
$79,578
Planning/ other local water management duties $5,000
Conservation easement funding / assistance $36,795
Programs and Operations $59,603
Total $213,598
Future Projects
Wetland restoration near Iosco Creek -- The
Iosco watershed is located in the northern portion
of Waseca County and is a major contributor to
Lake Elysian. Historically the Iosco Creek was
used by fi sh to move upstream to spawning areas
throughout the watershed. Working cooperatively
with the DNR, the Waseca SWCD has installed
fi sh ladders downstream of culverts that have
caused barriers for fi sh. The SWCD now has an
opportunity to work with a landowner to restore a
30-acre partially drained wetland. A downstream
culvert through a township road was lowered
15 years ago to allow the wetland to drain. The
installation of rock cross veins and weirs downstream
of the wetland will help eliminate the
downcutting of the creek and allow suspended
sediment to settle out and re-establish the original
creek bed.
Conservation projects at local dairy operation
-- Currently the District and staff from Zone 10
JPO are working with a dairy farm with 300 head
of cattle. With the decrease of dairy farms in
Waseca County, the district has prioritized funding
for producers, to continue to operate. The
staff will look at correcting and treating the milk
house waste, feedlot runoff and silage stacks.
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