The following is a news release from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). Anoka County communities within the Lower St. Croix major watershed are Linwood Township and portions of East Bethel, Ham Lake, and Columbus (see image at the end of this post).

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A collaborative effort among 15 local governments to improve water quality and natural resources in the Lower St. Croix River Watershed will begin implementation following approval of the partnership’s comprehensive watershed management plan at the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources’ (BWSR) October 28 meeting.

The plan was developed as part of the state of Minnesota’s One Watershed, One Plan (1W1P) program. The vision and purpose of the 1W1P program is to align local water planning on major watershed boundaries with state strategies towards prioritized, targeted, and measurable implementation plans. Planning on a watershed level allows collaborating local governments to pursue timely solutions based on a watershed’s highest priority needs.

“This partnership shows how conservation outcomes can be achieved when local governments from different geographic areas unite toward a common goal,” BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke said. “We look forward to watching what’s next for this partnership as they move into the plan implementation phase.”

The watershed planning boundary includes portions of Chisago, Isanti, Anoka, Pine and Washington counties. Water resources are abundant in the area, including 127 lakes, 152,000 acres of wetlands and more than 1,000 miles of rivers, streams and ditches. Plan priorities include improving lake, stream, St. Croix River, and groundwater quality by providing cost-share for targeted cost-effective agricultural and urban projects, protecting and restoring uplands and wetlands and expanding technical assistance to landowners. The partnership includes local governments from both greater Minnesota and the metro area.

“Throughout the planning process, I have met a lot of really great people who work in the natural resources field in the Lower St. Croix watershed. Individually, we are accomplishing a lot, but by working together we will be able to build on each of our strengths to accomplish the goals of our plan,” said Craig Mell, Chisago SWCD administrator.

“I’m excited about the opportunities we have before us because of the high level of collaboration we’ve seen and the broad reach we have within the Lower St. Croix because of that collaboration,” said Fran Miron, Washington County commissioner, who chaired the planning partnership’s policy committee.

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BWSR is the state soil and water conservation agency, and it administers programs that prevent sediment and nutrients from entering our lakes, rivers, and streams; enhance fish and wildlife habitat; and protect wetlands. The 20-member board consists of representatives of local and state government agencies and citizens. BWSR’s mission is to improve and protect Minnesota’s water and soil resources by working in partnership with local organizations and private landowners.

Contact: Mary Juhl
651-215-9008

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More information, including the plan itself, can be found at https://www.lsc1w1p.org/ .