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.
| Group | Waterbody and plan | Sponsors | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Dobbins Creek | Cedar River WD; Mower SWCD | Southeast |
| A | Split Rock, Pipestone, and Mound Creeks | Pipestone SWCD | Southwest |
| A | Skunk Creek (Nemadji River) | Carlton SWCD | Northeast |
| A | Green Lake (Rum River) | Isanti County | North Central |
| A | Upper Hawk Creek and Willmar Chain of Lakes | Hawk Creek Partnership | Southwest |
| A | Dutch Creek - Fairmont Chain of Lakes | Martin SWCD | Southeast |
| A | Whiskey Creek (Buffalo River) | Buffalo-Red River WD | Northwest |
| A | Plum Creek (Cottonwood River) | Redwood SWCD | Southwest |
| A | Sand Creek (Minnesota River) | Scott WMO | Metro |
| A | Red Lake River (Thief River Falls - Crookston) and Black River | Red Lake SWCD; Pennington SWCD; Polk SWCD; Red Lake WD | Northwest |
| B | Tamarack River, Horseshoe, Island, and Minnewawa Lakes | Aikin SWCD, Carlton SWCD | North Central |
| B | Brown's Creek | Brown's Creek WD | Metro |
| B | Coon and Sand Creeks | Coon Creek WD | Metro |
| B | Como Lake | Capitol Region WD | Metro |
| B | Birch. Wilkinson, and Tamarack Lakes | Vadnais Lakes Area WMO | Metro |
| B | Rice Creek (Le Sueur River) | Faribault SWCD | Southeast |
| B | Twelve Mile Creek | Wright SWCD | North Central |
| B | West Indian Creek | Wabasha SWCD | Southeast |
| B | Whitefish Chain of Lakes | Crow Wing SWCD | North Central |
| C | Rat Root River | Koochiching SWCD | Northeast |
| C | Cascade Creek (Zumbro River) | City of Rochester | Southeast |
| C | Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Chain | Comfort Lake Forest Lake WD | Metro |
| C | Campbell Creek | Pelican River WD | Northwest |
| C | Amity Creek | South St. Louis SWCD | Northeast |
| C | Pelican Lake | North St. Louis SWCD | Northeast |
| C | Devil's Track River | Cook County SWCD | Northeast |
| C | Bluff and Oak Creeks | East Otter Tail SWCD | North Central |
| C | Headwaters of Rice Lake | North Fork Crow WD | North Central |
| C | Knife River | Lake County SWCD | Northeast |
| D | Green Lake | Chisago SWCD | Metro |
| D | Necktie River | Hubbard SWCD | North Central |
| D | Wells Creek | Goodhue SWCD | Southeast |
| D | Blackduck River | Red Lake Nation | Northwest |
| D | Hay Creek Watershed | Roseau River WD | Northwest |
| D | Middle Fork Crow River | Middle Fork Crow River WD | North Central |
SWCD - Soil and water conservation district; WD - Watershed district; WMO - Watershed management organization