Elm Creek Watershed
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Elm Creek Watershed. Green Lands, Blue Waters Annual Conference November 20-21, 2013 Linda Meschke, Rural Advantage. Elm Creek Watershed. Elm Creek. HUC 10 173,000 acres Land Use Agricultural Corn Soybeans Swine Towns Bergen Trimont Northrup Jackson. Why Elm Creek?.
Elm Creek Watershed
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Presentation Transcript
Elm Creek Watershed Green Lands, Blue Waters Annual Conference November 20-21, 2013 Linda Meschke, Rural Advantage
Elm Creek • HUC 10 • 173,000 acres • Land Use • Agricultural • Corn • Soybeans • Swine • Towns • Bergen • Trimont • Northrup • Jackson
Why Elm Creek? • Watershed is Impaired • Does not meet MN Water Quality Standards • Impairments: • Affected Designated Use: • Aquatic Life • Pollutant or Stressor • Fishes – Bio-assessment • Turbidity • Downstream Impairments: • Lower MN River • Dissolved Oxygen • Blue Earth River • Fecal Coliform • Turbidity • Statewide • Mercury
Why Elm Creek? [continued] Progressive farmers who are leaders in their industry. [Farmer Led] History of doing & participation in conservation programs. University of Minnesota leadership & involvement. Local leadership from agencies and producers. and Confidence that a successful program can be done here that can be replicated elsewhere.
What is Working to Drive Change?Key Principles: • Farmer Led [Listen & Apply Their Ideas] • Keep the raindrop where it falls. • Cheapest and most effective way to treat water. • Further the raindrop moves, the more costly and the less effective treatment is. • Manage your land in a way that enhances the biological aspects of the soil to increase productivity and reduce nutrient leaching. • Increase soil organic matter.
Target Priorities:How Can Continuous Living Cover Be Applied? • Nutrient Management • Commercial Fertilizer • Manure • Cover Crops • Drainage Water Management • Soil Erosion • Soil Health • Buffers
Tile Outlet Treatment Trains 1 2 3 Demonstrating Farmer Led Conservation in Elm Creek Watershed - Rural Advantage TOTT is simply a series of upland, riparian and in-stream practices that work together to cumulatively leverage pollution reductions from agricultural systems. • 1. Upland • Cover Crops • Soil Health Building • Residue Management • Extended Crop Rotation • Nutrient Management • Controlled Drainage • 2. Near Outlet • Bioreactors • Saturated Buffers • Water Storage • Two Stage Ditches • Constructed Wetland • 3. Downstream • Microbial & Macroinvertebrate Habitat • Hyporheic flow w/Constructed Riffles • Biochar & Slag Iron in Constructed Glides
What is Next? • Tile Outlet Treatment Trains • Drainage Management • MN Ag Water Quality Certainty Program • Conservation Planning • CLC Mindset