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Red River of the North Basin Water Quality Basin Planning Effort
Role of Customer Participation Involvement by local governments and other partners is a critical part of basin management. Partnership Teams The MPCA will work with partnership teams in each of the basins to gather local input for the basin management process. These teams represent a core group of local partners and state agencies that are responsible for developing water quality priorities and strategies that can be implemented or initiated by members of the team. Representatives for these partnership teams will be determined somewhat uniquely for each basin, as some of the basins have existing partnership structures already established, and the social dynamics of each basin need to be considered when forming external teams. The composition of these teams would vary from basin to basin, but it would include bringing to the table those parties/partners that have resources to bring to bear on the watersheds. Examples of typical partnership team members include:
The MPCA will work with external partners to arrive at compatible management goals, such as specific stream segments to be restored or protected, loading reductions to be achieved, or the amount of habitat to be restored. This MPCA/external partnership team will also establish feasible combinations of point and nonpoint source control measures and management actions to achieve goals. Management options will be evaluated for their relative effectiveness in achieving environmental objectives through the use of predictive modeling or other methods, where appropriate. Regulatory constraints and procedures will be considered, and consensus will be sought where voluntary efforts are needed to meet environmental objectives. Strategies will include descriptions of the actions to be taken, responsibilities for implementation, timelines, costs, funding sources, monitoring strategies, and when applicable, information on compliance tracking and enforcement methods. Partnership teams will establish roles and goals uniquely adapted to the particular basin and team composition. Envisioned roles of the watershed partnership teams include:
Broad Public Involvement While partnership teams place emphasis on local involvement, these teams do not represent the strong role individual citizens can play in both development and implementation of basin management. Basin management will create opportunities for a broad range of partners to increase their awareness of water-related issues and play meaningful roles in water resources management. MPCA plans to use a variety of outreach methods within each basin to keep the public informed and engaged. Timeline of Basin Planning Process for the Red River Basin The MPCA has been gradually shifting its water quality programs to basin planning since the early 1990's, and began implementing basin planning in earnest in late 1995. The Red River Basin was chosen as part of the group of 3 basins (of the 10 major drainage basins in the state) to be focused on first (together with the Minnesota River Basin and the Lake Superior Basin). With the release of this basin information document in mid-1997, the basin planning process for the Red River Basin is underway and is scheduled to continue on as follows. The schedule is flexible and may be altered as necessary, but provides some targets for completion of steps of the basin planning process to keep the effort moving. JUNE - AUGUST 1997 - Analysis of the current water quality situation in the Red River Basin based on water quality monitoring, studies, and assessments of past projects implemented in the basin. Determine priority issues and deficiencies in data and information. SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 1997 - Prioritization of issues and problems, and targeting of specific watersheds, waterbodies, or other locations where action should be taken to begin addressing priority issues. JANUARY 1998 - MARCH 1999 - Develop strategies for implementing water quality improvement efforts in area targeted for action, and a monitoring plan for the Red River Basin that addresses data gaps. APRIL 1999 - SEPTEMBER 1999 - Draft and finalize Red River Basin Plan, to include basin information document, priorities, targets, strategies, monitoring plan, and implementation plan. Implementation plan will identify specific activities, parties responsible for carrying them out, timelines for carrying them out, and funding mechanisms. OCTOBER 1999 - Implementation of basin plan begins and continues as long as necessary and appropriate for specific strategies. JANUARY 2001 - Red River Basin 5-year planning cycle starts over. The first basin plan will serve as a foundation for the next plan and subsequent plans. Subsequent plans will revolve more around assessing the progress made in previous planning cycles and modifying previous plans as deemed necessary. Partnerships in Red River Basin Planning
The MPCA sees local involvement in all aspects of basin planning as essential to the success of basin planning and the realization of water quality improvements in the Red River Basin. The plan developed through this effort is not meant to be "the MPCA's plan," but rather it should be "the Red River Basin Plan," developed, used and owned by the resource managers and citizens of the Red River Basin. The MPCA is facilitating this basin planning process in the major drainage basins in the state to carry out its legislative charge to protect water quality, but it can not alone provide the local perspective, the answers, and the person-power needed to provide water quality protection and enhancement. The Red River Basin already has several local basin planning initiatives underway and multiple organizations involved in watershed management. The MPCA's basin planning efforts are not intended to supplant or compete with these efforts in any way. In fact, the MPCA is involved in some capacity in all of these initiatives, and is looking to these initiatives to help us better manage water resources. It will be crucial that the MPCA's efforts dovetail with other planning efforts to form a cohesive, coordinated strategy. The MPCA has identified the following organizations as critical resource managers with which we would like to form strong basin planning partnerships. At the same time, the MPCA will not exclude any other parties not identified here from the basin planning process, and welcomes participation from all interested parties. In mid-1995, several local and state interests began planning to develop a Red River Basin planning entity that could respond to major water issues in the Red River Basin and provide guidance to resource mangers. The group was envisioned as having representatives from all sectors and all political jurisdictions of the basin; thus, serving as a forum to bring diverse interests together to cooperatively develop plans and guidance for water resource management. The idea was presented at the 13th Annual Red River Basin Land and Water International Summit Conference in November 1995, with those present agreeing that another summit should be held in February of 1996 to formally begin the work of determining whether or not such a planning group should be formed, and if so, what its makeup should be. On February 15, 1996, over 200 water resource managers and users of the Red River Basin gathered in Grand Forks, North Dakota to take up the issue. The attendees agreed that a basin planning entity was needed and should be formed. The attendees divided into sector groups and chose representatives from each sector to serve on an Interim Planning Group (IPG) charged with developing the basin planning entity structure, its planning responsibilities, and financial support mechanisms. The IPG developed the following structure for what is now called the Red River Basin Board (RRBB), which was approved on November 15, 1996 in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the 14th Annual Red River Basin Land and Water International Summit Conference. The board convened for the first time on July 24, 1997, to begin the process of developing a basin plan. The basin planning process the MPCA will facilitate will be developed in consort with the RRBB plan. It will serve to support this larger basin plan and provide a more detailed level of water quality planning for the Minnesota portion of the Red River Basin. The MPCA looks to the RRBB as a crucial link to local interests in all political jurisdictions in the Red River Basin as a basin planning entity locally formed, locally driven, and locally focused. The RRBB has been structured in the following manner. Mission and Structure of the Red River Basin Board The Red River Basin Board mission is: To develop, and cause to be implemented, a comprehensive water management plan for the Red River Basin; and to facilitate and pursue the resolution of inter-jurisdictional issues. Membership (21 total): Minnesota representatives (5 total)
North Dakota representatives (5 total)
Manitoba representatives (7 total)
South Dakota representatives (2 total)
Tribal/First Nations representatives (2 total) Red River Watershed Management Board (RRWMB) The RRWMB consists of the established watershed districts in the Minnesota-portion of the Red River Basin. The Mission statement of the RRWMB states that "the RRWMB was created by legislative act in the 1976 legislative session for the purpose of instituting, coordinating, and financing projects to alleviate flooding and to assure beneficial use of water in the watershed of the Red River of the North and its tributaries." The scope of the RRWMB's jurisdiction and authority encompasses the area managed by the individual Watershed Districts which have membership on the Board. Membership of the RRWMB includes the:
(Note: The Pelican River Watershed District and the Cormorant Lakes Watershed District, which are located in the Red River Basin, are not members of the RRWMB. The Otter Tail River Watershed and the Tamarac River Watersheds do not have established Watershed Districts.) Out of necessity, the RRWMB's activities have historically centered around flood control and drainage. The Board promotes a basin-wide perspective for water management, especially with regard to reducing flood flows. Other RRWMB activities include the promotion of basin planning, water quality studies, and educational programs. The MPCA looks to the RRWMB as a direct link to the local units of government that are defined by hydrologic boundaries and that are directly responsible for water management - the Watershed Districts. By their defined responsibilities and capabilities, the Watershed Districts are in a key position to develop and implement strategies for improving water quality. The International Coalition for Land and Water Stewardship in the Red River Basin (TIC) TIC is a non-profit organization incorporated in the United States and Canada whose goal is to be an international model for communication, cooperation, and action. TIC seeks to involve people and organizations in land and water choices to be made in the Red River Basin. TIC has performed a variety of functions in the Red River Basin over the years, including: annual summit conferences since 1983; coordinating the development of comprehensive local water plans and facilitating the Northwest Minnesota Comprehensive Local Water Planning Joint Powers Board; developing and disseminating educational materials on land and water management; and most recently, shepherding the development of the Red River Basin Board. The MPCA looks to TIC as an organization capable of uniting diverse interest groups in a spirit of cooperation to promote stewardship that will be instrumental in the MPCA basin planning process. The role of TIC will evolve as the Red River Basin Board develops, but the need for TIC's involvement in the basin planning process will persist. The Northwest Minnesota Comprehensive Local Water Planning Joint Powers Board (JPB) The JPB was formed in 1987 to enable participating counties to work together to develop individual comprehensive local water plans (CLWPs). Since completing the initial plans, the JPB has continued to meet on a regular basis to share information, discuss projects, and address land and water issues. Counties Represented on the JPB:
The MPCA looks to the CLWPs developed by the individual counties as a starting point for the development of a Red River Basin Plan. Much effort has gone into the CLWPs and their updates over the years to identify major water issues and recommendations, and these will help to serve as a foundation for a Red River Basin Plan. Red River Water Management Consortium The Consortium was formed in early 1996 by the Environment and Energy Research Center and AGVISE Laboratories to develop a water management program for the Red River of the North Basin. A major objective of the program will be to find technological solutions to water supply and water quality problems. The overall goal of the program will be to develop a long term watershed management strategy focusing on water quantity and quality. The Consortium is made up of vested stakeholders affected by water management issues in the Red River Basin. Members of the Consortium include:
The MPCA looks to the Consortium as a link to private industry, agriculture and municipalities of the Red River Basin. For more information on the Consortium, visit their Website While the MPCA intends to base its basin planning efforts on local input, the MPCA also recognizes that several state and federal agencies have jurisdiction over and responsibilities related to water resources in the Red River Basin. State agencies will be in contact through the Red River Basin Board, established lines of communication and communication specifically focused on basin planning issues. This includes a Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources project intended to improve coordination between the MPCA and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The primary state agencies involved in water management issues in the Red River Basin include the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, the North Dakota State Health Department, the North Dakota State Water Commission, and the provincial agency Manitoba Environment. These agencies communicate regularly on water management issues through the Red River Water Resources Council. Other state agencies that have an impact on and involvement in water quality issues include the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and the Minnesota Department of Health. Federal Agencies involved in water management issues in the Red River Basin include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Environment Canada. Some of the activities in the Red River Basin that these agencies are directly involved in or responsible for include:
In addition to the parties identified above as essential to the basin planning process, there are numerous other groups that should also be involved. Whenever possible, the MPCA will work with the following entities in the basin planning process. To a large extent, the degree of involvement of these parties in the basin planning process will be determined by the parties themselves. A list of some of the possible participants in the basin planning process includes:
The lists above of parties to be involved in the basin planning process is by no means meant to be exclusive. Those listed are simply parties the MPCA is aware of at this time as being directly involved in water management issues in the Red River Basin. Some parties may have been inadvertently omitted, but no group has been intentionally omitted. More Information For questions about the Red River Basin information available on this page, contact Molly MacGregor at 218-846-0494. |
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This document was last updated November 3, 1997
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