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

The TMDL plan for Lake Shaokatan
has led to efforts to promote and install best management
practices in the Watershed including the South Branch of
the Yellow Medicine River and Lake Shaokatan Watershed,
in cooperation with the Yellow Medicine River Watershed
District. Practices installed through the SWCD’s
efforts include:
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20-Rock/blind intakes
A drainage tile diversion and wetland enhancement
project installed in cooperation with Lake Shaokatan
Sportsman’s Club and a private landowner
A wetland restoration on a 48-acre pasture site, where
tile was re-routed to a wetland for fi ltering before
entering the lake, and a control structure was added to
the outlet of the wetland to control nutrients from entering
the lake. This project was done in cooperation
with DNR, Lake Shaokatan Sportsmen Club, Yellow
Medicine River Watershed District, Lincoln County
Parks and Southwest Prairie Technical Service Area.
The Water Management Plan for Lincoln
County is implemented by the SWCD. More than 600
wells have been sealed through these efforts. Conserving
Use Acres Program annually provides dollars to six
landowners to plant small grain for summer construction
of approximately 15-25 water and sediment control basins.
Nearly 30 Rock Inlets have been installed to date. A
Drainage Ditch Survey and Management Plan through a
Challenge Grant was completed through the SWCD and
Lincoln County GIS specialist.
Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District
Lincoln County has the second highest
number of acres of living snow fences in which the SWCD
utilizes county highway department funds for this project,
administered in partnership with MN DOT. Over the past fi ve
years 50,000 - 104,000 trees have been planted per year.
The SWCD’s Wetland Conservation Act
duties have led to some development project being modifi ed
to avoid impacting wetlands. On one recent project, SWCD
staff worked with golf course designers in Tyler in 2002.
The SWCD’s involvement ensured that the course did not
substantially alter the hydrology of existing wetlands, and a
diverse mix of native vegetation was planted to enhance the
ecological and aesthetic value of the existing wetlands.
2005 Expenditures by category
Monitoring / Research --
Education / Outreach $10,837
Wetland Conservation Act $20,000
Cost Share / project construction,
implementation and maintenance
$229,803
Planning/ other local water management duties $7,438
Conservation easement funding / assistance $39,123
Programs and Operations $166,889
Total $474,090
Future Projects
Clean Water Legacy Grant: 1) Work with the Lyon
and Yellow Medicine SWCDs and the Yellow Medicine
River Watershed District to install conservation practices
throughout the TMDL designated sites in the Yellow
Medicine River Watershed area. 2) Work with the
Redwood Cottonwood Rivers Control Area (RCRCA) and
the SWCDs in the RCRCA area on a Clean Water Legacy
Grant.
WCA: Five projects to construct new dams or repair
existing dams in cooperation with Area II MN River
Basin, the DNR, NRCS and RCRCA.
Living Snow Fences: install approximately 2 miles of
living snow fences planned for State Highways 14 & 75.
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