The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) approved approximately $6.7 million in competitive Clean Water Fund (CWF) grants to improve water quality in streams, lakes and groundwater across the state. Together, these projects will reduce phosphorus, sediment, nutrients, bacteria and other contaminants in Minnesota’s waters through stormwater treatment, lake restoration, erosion control, agricultural conservation practices, septic system upgrades, well sealing and groundwater protection efforts. These improvements will result in cleaner water, healthier aquatic habitats, safer drinking water and more resilient communities across the state.
“Clean water is fundamental to the health and well-being of the people who call Minnesota home,” said BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke. “These locally-led projects will help move the needle on water quality improvements throughout the state.”
Minnesota has shifted over the past several years to a Watershed-Based Implementation Funding model, which offers consistent, predictable funding to planning partnerships with approved watershed management plans. This helps partnerships focus on the highest priority projects within a specific watershed and complements the competitive CWF grants which offer funding to individual organizations for projects and practices.
The $6.7 million will fund 18 grants that will improve and protect lakes, rivers, streams and drinking water across the state. Projects funded through these grant awards include stormwater ponds, agricultural conservation practices, in-lake alum treatments, iron-enhanced sand filters and stream restorations.
Projects and Practices Grants: Projects that protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers and streams and protect groundwater and drinking water sources from degradation.
Grantee Total Requested ($)
Coon Creek Watershed District $ 500,000
Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District $ 796,270
Cedar River Watershed District $ 280,000
Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District $ 1,034,825
Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District $ 470,000
Red Lake Soil and Water Conservation District $ 371,000
Waseca Soil and Water Conservation District $ 299,000
Middle-Snake-Tamarac Rivers Watershed District $ 248,400
Sherburne Soil and Water Conservation District $ 704,234
TOTAL: $ 4,703,729
Drinking Water Allocations: Projects that protect groundwater and drinking water sources from
degradation.
Grantee Total Requested ($)
Anoka Conservation District $ 199,232
Hibbing, City of $ 85,000
Dakota County $ 100,000
Pennington Soil and Water Conservation District $ 210,000
Watonwan Soil and Water Conservation District $ 382,360
Sherburne Soil and Water Conservation District $ 231,225
Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District $ 309,000
Vadnais Heights, City of $ 240,000
Ramsey County $ 125,000
TOTAL: $ 1,881,817
