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

The Eddy Township Stream Restoration
(pictured) was a joint project with the Red Lake Watershed
District, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Clearwater County
Commissioners, Eddy Township Board and Clearwater
SWCD to restore a portion of the Silver Creek to its natural
channel fl ow. This was a turn back road to the Township
and a continuous problem site due to culvert wash outs and
overfl ow. Past project fi xes by the DNR and others had been
unsuccessful. The solution had been to keep dumping gravel
into the Silver Creek to temporarily fi x the situation. The
project was completed in 2007 with a total cost of $42,658.
A Feedlot Water Quality Management
Grant and EQIP funds recently helped the SWCD complete
a project on a local farm with 113 dairy cows and 145
beef cows. The owners /operators constructed a manure
storage pit and milk house waste pond to treat all materials,
composting barn, several clean water diversions; stream
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Clearwater Soil & Water Conservation District
crossing, several windbreaks, and put in place a rotational
grazing for both dairy and beef operations as well as
residue management practices.
A 4-year buffer education program,
the RRBC Silver Creek 319 Buffer Initiative, was
administered by the Red River Basin Commission,
and the Clearwater SWCD participated along with the
MPCA. The District received approximately $50,000
to work on a survey of residents within the watershed,
landowner contracts, educational and promotional pieces
encouraging BMP’s within the watershed.
Top 5 Natural Resource Concerns
Protection of surface waters on lands engaged
in agricultural practices
Urban runoff and solutions for small cities
Restoration, protection and education in
Silver Creek Watershed (Silver Creek, Lost
River, Ruffy Brook & Clearwater River from
Ruffy Brook to West County line)
SSTS concerns
Shoreland protection and education
Future Projects
The SWCD is in the process of completing the
fi rst phase of an urban runoff plan for the City of
Clearbrook. The fi nal component in this part of the
project will include a proposed design of ponds and
locations for the City of Clearbrook by the North
Central JPB Engineer. The Red Lake Watershed
District has been actively involved with the project
and would like to see the implementation phase of the
project be adopted by the RLWSD Board.
The SWCD will be completing its Clean Water
Legacy projects in 2008. There are four stream bank
restorations within the Silver Creek Watershed. North
Central JPB and Clearwater SWCD are completing
plan specifi cations and design work this fall with
actual construction taking place spring of 2008.
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