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The 319 Small Watersheds Focus program was developed to provide a long-term roadmap to support comprehensive implementation to address nonpoint source pollution loading at a small watershed scale by local government units.

With the MPCA, participants develop a detailed nine-element plan following the EPA’s Handbook for developing watershed plans to restore and protect our waters. The watersheds will be prioritized to receive four, four-year grant awards that will span a total of 16 years. These funds will be used to implement a series of projects outlined in the nine-element plan, provide a steady source of funding, focus implementation efforts, and achieve measurable water quality improvements on a specific waterbody.

Prioritized projects

  • Group A: prioritized for funding in 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032
  • Group B: 2021, 2025, 2029, 2033
  • Group C: 2022, 2026, 2030, 2034
  • Group D: 2023, 2027, 2031, 2035

Each project has a Nine Key Element Plan.

GroupWaterbody and planSponsorsRegion
ADobbins CreekCedar River WD; Mower SWCDSoutheast
ASplit Rock, Pipestone, and Mound CreeksPipestone SWCDSouthwest
ASkunk Creek (Nemadji River)Carlton SWCDNortheast
AGreen Lake (Rum River)Isanti CountyNorth Central
AUpper Hawk Creek and Willmar Chain of LakesHawk Creek PartnershipSouthwest
ADutch Creek - Fairmont Chain of LakesMartin SWCDSoutheast
AWhiskey Creek (Buffalo River)Buffalo-Red River WDNorthwest
APlum Creek (Cottonwood River)Redwood SWCDSouthwest
ASand Creek (Minnesota River)Scott WMOMetro
ARed Lake River (Thief River Falls - Crookston) and Black RiverRed Lake SWCD; Pennington SWCD; Polk SWCD; Red Lake WDNorthwest
BTamarack River, Horseshoe, Island, and Minnewawa LakesAikin SWCD, Carlton SWCDNorth Central
BBrown's CreekBrown's Creek WDMetro
BCoon and Sand CreeksCoon Creek WDMetro
BComo LakeCapitol Region WDMetro
BBirch. Wilkinson, and Tamarack LakesVadnais Lakes Area WMOMetro
BRice Creek (Le Sueur River)Faribault SWCDSoutheast
BTwelve Mile CreekWright SWCDNorth Central
BWest Indian CreekWabasha SWCDSoutheast
BWhitefish Chain of LakesCrow Wing SWCDNorth Central
CRat Root RiverKoochiching SWCDNortheast
CCascade Creek (Zumbro River)City of RochesterSoutheast
CComfort Lake-Forest Lake ChainComfort Lake Forest Lake WDMetro
CCampbell CreekPelican River WDNorthwest
CAmity CreekSouth St. Louis SWCDNortheast
CPelican LakeNorth St. Louis SWCDNortheast
CDevil's Track RiverCook County SWCDNortheast
CBluff and Oak CreeksEast Otter Tail SWCDNorth Central
CHeadwaters of Rice LakeNorth Fork Crow WDNorth Central
CKnife RiverLake County SWCDNortheast
DGreen LakeChisago SWCDMetro
DNecktie RiverHubbard SWCDNorth Central
DWells CreekGoodhue SWCDSoutheast
DBlackduck RiverRed Lake NationNorthwest
DHay Creek WatershedRoseau River WDNorthwest
DMiddle Fork Crow RiverMiddle Fork Crow River WDNorth Central

SWCD - Soil and water conservation district; WD - Watershed district; WMO - Watershed management organization