Watershed Achievements Report

Statewide Watershed Achievements Report 2015
placed in the sediments for a successful reduction of
internal phosphorus loading.
Level 2 Winter Maintenance Training – 2014
Sponsor: Fortin Consulting, Inc.
Funding: Section 319 (Grant) $129,176
Purpose: Create a Level 2 winter maintenance training
curriculum, conduct up to 24 Level 2 MPCA certification
training courses and/or presentations; train up to
400 senior maintenance professionals and certify the
majority; produce specific and substantial organizational
changes in maintenance practices as a result of training;
and produce and distribute the use of education. We will
evaluate success by the number of classes conducted,
number of short presentations given in support of
the long-term viability of the program, number of
individuals trained, number of organizations trained,
educational materials produced and distributed, number
of individuals certified, estimated pollutant reductions,
Winter Maintenance Assessment (WMA) reports/
refinement and course evaluations.
Linking Water Storage BMPs to Watershed Goals –
2012
Sponsor: Minnesota River Board
Funding: Section 319 (Grant) $292,140
Purpose: This project will develop, adjust, verify and test
a water storage calculator that links new and existing
individual projects to large-scale watershed goals,
measuring the results in “cubic feet stored” or “volume
and rate of storage” for structural and vegetative BMPs;
establish and facilitate a Water Storage Learning Group;
select and implement 5-10 water storage practices/
projects; and reach out to technical service providers,
certified crop advisors, SWCDs, and NRCS so this
technology and thinking can be applied in everyday
work.
Performance of an Agricultural Drainage Tile Filter –
2013
Sponsor: U of M
Funding: Section 319 (Grant) $256,465
Purpose: This project will measure and evaluate the
performance of an engineered enhancement to
agricultural drainage tiles that will significantly decrease
the release of phosphates to surface waters from
agricultural runoff. The innovative filter design would be
based on previously developed technology that enables
increased phosphate removal by adsorption using iron, in
the form of iron filings.
Reducing Phosphorus Runoff From Livestock Farms –
2012
Sponsor: U of M
Funding: Section 319 (Grant) $296,318
Purpose: This project will determine phosphorus
balances on farms in two regions of high dairy and
beef density near nutrient impaired waters; select
management strategies for bringing representative
farms with a phosphorus surplus into balance or below;
develop selected farm analyses into teaching case
studies; and use case studies from the farm phosphorus
balance analyses to assist livestock producers and their
agricultural professionals in evaluating their operations
and select strategies to prevent excessive build-up in soil
test phosphorus and transport of phosphorus to waters,
while maintaining or improving profitability.
Turf and Winter Maintenance Training – 2013
Sponsor: Fortin Consulting, Inc.
Funding: Section 319 (Grant) $110,000
Purpose: Three different voluntary certifications courses
will be taught: Winter Maintenance of Roads, Winter
Maintenance of Parking Lots/Sidewalks and Turfgrass
Maintenance with Reduced Environmental Impacts.
We anticipate a fourth course, MPCA Level II Winter
Maintenance, will exist so we can offer it. We will conduct
30-40 classes or shorter presentations at conferences
or group meetings across the state. We will teach
about 2,000 people and will reach many more through
our training manuals and information on the MPCA
website. This project is unique in that the audience is
maintenance workers and it is a certification course. It will
help organizations meet salt reduction goals expected
to be established with the metro chloride plan. Based
on results from previous classes, we expect changes
in practices and substantial reductions in salt, sand,
nutrients pesticide and water use from this project,
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us 44