The Clean Water Council approved tentative recommendations for the Clean Water Fund for FY24-25, pending any changes after the November state budget forecast.
Highlights include:
Expanding what works for bigger impact
- Fund more "shovel-ready" water quality projects identified in comprehensive watershed management plans through BWSR Watershed-Based Implementation Funding.
- Increase investment in perennial crops with a 50% increase in the Forever Green Initiative.
- Increase grants for reducing chloride through MPCA's Chloride Reduction Program.
- Support more low-income households to replace non-compliant septic systems with MPCA's Enhanced County Inspections/SSTS Corrective Actions.
- Increase water storage with BWSR easements and projects on DNR land.
- Increase farm acreage using more soil health practices through BWSR's Enhancing Landowner Adoption of Soil Health Practices for Drinking Water & Groundwater Protection Program and the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Best Management Practices (AgBMP) Loan Program and new Conservation Equipment Assistance Program.
Increased capacity to assess threats to groundwater, drinking water, and aquatic life
- Begin a 10-year private well testing effort to offer every private drinking water well owner in Minnesota the opportunity to test their water for five major contaminants for free, and counsel well owners on how to mitigate any issues. (MDH Private Well Initiative)
- Fulfill monitoring and assessment plans from the state's PFAS Blueprint
- Add PFAS to DNR's Fish Contamination Assessment.
- Continue to evaluate potential impacts on human health from additional PFAS compounds through the MDH Contaminants of Emerging Concern program.
- Add PFAS to the MPCA's River and Lake Monitoring and Assessment Program.
- Accelerate groundwater analysis with more resources for the Health Department's Groundwater Restoration and Protection Strategies (GRAPS) program.
- Support new approaches that will accelerate our progress to more drinkable, fishable, and swimmable water.
- Culvert Replacement Incentive Program: DNR would provide cost-share assistance to local governments that improve water quality, habitat, and climate resilience when replacing road culverts.
- Mussel Restoration Pilot Program: The DNR would increase native mussel production at its Lake City facility and field test restoration in three major watersheds.
- Precision Application of Manure: The MDA would support an update of nitrogen crediting methods to improve substitution of manure for commercial fertilizer. This would lead to less wasted nitrogen entering groundwater and surface waters. (MDA Agricultural Research/Evaluation)
- Leveraging Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Funding: The MPCA would use $2 million to support SWCDs in the Lake Superior Basin to leverage more GLRI project funding.
- Recreational Water Quality Online Portal: The MDH would consolidate reporting on bacterial contamination of swimming lakes into one website, replacing a lake-by-lake reporting system. Minnesotans would be able to see beach closings online in one place.
For details, go to https://bit.ly/3fRuVPx
Categories: Minnesota, General