Contact: Cathy Rofshus, 507-206-2608
St. Paul, Minn. -- Protecting Minnesota’s water resources is the focus of $4 million in grants and loans recently approved by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). As funded by the Clean Water Partnership and Clean Water Fund programs, local partners will receive funding to investigate pollutants in lakes and rivers as well as take action to protect waters from those pollutants.
Created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1987, the Clean Water Partnership program provides financial and technical assistance to diagnose and address threats to water resources.
Approved by Minnesota voters in 2008, the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment increased the state sales tax and dedicated it for certain uses, including the creation of a Clean Water Fund to protect, enhance and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater.
The following partners will receive grants for investigation projects in 2011:
-- City of Eagan in the Minnesota River Basin, $55,276 for Blackhawk Lake and Thomas Lake Management Plans;
-- Lake of the Woods County in the Rainy River Basin, $53,000 for the Bostic and Zippel Watershed Assessment Project;
-- Lake County in the Rainy River Basin, $174,500, for Kawishiwi Watershed Protection Project Phase 1;
-- Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board in the Upper Mississippi Basin, $55,000 for the Harriet Lake Diagnostic Study and Management Plan;
-- Spring Lake-Prior Lake Watershed District in the Upper Mississippi Basin, $48,417, for the Lower Prior Lake Diagnostic Study;
-- Stearns County Environmental Services in the Upper Mississippi Basin, $39,100 for the Pelican Lake of St. Anna Phase 1 Study;
-- Bridgewater Township in Rice County in the Lower Mississippi Basin, $110,197 for the Rice Creek Assessment Project; and
-- Crow Wing County in the Upper Mississippi Basin, $42,744, for the Serpent Lakeshed Protection Investigation Study.
The following partners will receive funding for implementation projects in 2011:
-- Sauk River Watershed District in the Upper Mississippi Basin, $300,000 in grant and $300,000 in loan funds for the Lower Sauk River Water Quality Protection Project; $114,839 in grant and $75,000 in loan funds for the Osakis Lake Enhancement Continuation Project; $235,000 in grant and $175,000 in loan funds for the Sauk River Watershed Quality Protection Phase III; and $40,000 in grant and $250,000 in loan funds for the Sauk River Watershed District Watershed-wide Groundwater Project.
-- Aitkin County in the Upper Mississippi Basin, $145,000 in grant funds for the Mille Lacs Lake Watershed Project.
-- Crow River Organization of Water in the Upper Mississippi Basin, $495,912 in grant and $1.2 million in loan funds for the Crow River Watershed Surface Water Runoff Reduction.
-- Coon Creek Watershed District in the Upper Mississippi Basin, $83,650 for the Sand Creek Stormwater Retrofit Project.
-- Lac qui Parle-Yellow Bank Watershed District in the Minnesota River Basin, $141,850 in grant funding for the Ten Mile Creek Protection Plan for Turbidity.
-- Rice Creek Watershed District in the Upper Mississippi Basin, $86,210 for the West Moore Lake Water Quality Enhancements.
For more information, go to the MPCA web site at www.pca.state.mn.us or contact Peter Fastner, Clean Water Partnership Coordinator for the MPCA, 651-757-2349, peter.fastner@state.mn.us, 520 Lafayette Road, St Paul, MN 55155.
