Under their agreement with the MPCA, local partners must submit surface water data, instrument calibration documents, and progress reports to the agency. Listed below are relevant events and dates to follow once the agreement has been executed. Please note that several dates listed below are approximate and may vary from year to year. Exact dates will be entered into the final work plan for each local partner.
Dates to remember
| March 1-30 | Agreements executed and work may begin. |
| Site visit with MPCA project manager is scheduled. | |
| April 30 | EQuIS project establishment form due. |
| May 1 | Lake and stream monitoring begins. Monthly check in calls with MPCA project manager begin. |
| September 30 | Lake and stream monitoring and monthly check in calls end. |
| November 1 | EQuIS lab and field data submittal to MPCA. If applicable, stream photographs must be submitted to MPCA project manager. |
| November-December | Complete EQuIS data review and submit finalized data to MPCA. Exact dates may vary between first and second year of the agreement. |
| December 31 | At the end of the first monitoring season, interim progress report due. At the end of the second monitoring season, final progress report due. Instrument calibration logs are due as an attachment to each progress report. |
| January 15 | Project end date. Final invoice due to MPCA project manager. |
Refer to MPCA’s Water monitoring resources webpage for standard operating procedures (SOPs) for monitoring lakes and streams under the Intensive Watershed Monitoring (IWM) Approach, along with procedures for monitoring waters listed for the presence of aquatic invasive species.
EQuIS information, including project establishment form and the EQuIS template for project data submittal, can be found on the MPCA Surface Water Data webpage.
The MPCA provides funding through a reimbursement process for eligible tasks and expenses. Local partners may submit invoices for reimbursement monthly or quarterly. An invoice reimbursement spreadsheet shall be distributed to each local partner by the MPCA project manager. This spreadsheet shall be written specifically for the details of each project’s budget.