Clean Water:

How the State Department of Agriculture is Spending Legacy Amendment Dollars

Topic: Clean Water

Although some don’t remember to place it on the list of conservation agencies, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will receive almost $11 million in Clean Water, Land and Legacy Funds in 2010 and 2011. The Department says the funding will be spent as follows:

•    $4.5 million for agriculture best practices loans.
•    $1.125 million for groundwater and drinking water protection.
•    $675,000 for pesticide monitoring and assessment.
•    $395,000 for monitoring of the Root River and analysis.
•    $2.265 million for research, projects and technical assistance.
•    $2 million for forest protection, primarily from emerald ash borer infestations.

All but the emerald ash borer funding will come from the Clean Water Fund established by the Legislature. The emerald ash borer funding will come from the Outdoor Heritage Fund.

Agriculture Best Practices Loans

The program provides zero interest loans to local units of government (counties, Soil and Water Conservation Districts and others) who in turn provide low interest loans to farmers and farm operation for implementing best management practices to reduce polluted runoff. Many loans are used for septic system upgrades, agriculture waste management projects and conservation tillage equipment. As pollution studies of rivers and lakes are completed, loans will go to on-the-ground projects that are designed to deal with and resolve identified pollution problems.

Groundwater and Drinking Water Protection

The focus is on preventing or reducing nitrate pollution of groundwater, often a result of farm practices including animal waste and fertilizers. The MDA will increase monitoring to evaluate nitrate concentration trends in both high risk areas and regions, promote and evaluate regional and crop-specific nutrient Best Management Practices, work with communities dealing with identified nitrate problems and facilitate planning by community public water suppliers, farmers and fertilizer dealers, and fund local governments to support approaches for locally driven response activities. MDA will also update the state Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Plan, which dates back to 1990.

Pesticide Monitoring and Assessment

Most funding will be used to purchase and maintain lab equipment enabling faster water samples and response to emerging pesticide problems.

Root River Monitoring

The goal will be to identify several subwatersheds of the River and work with landowners or farmers to implement additional conservation practices and then monitor whether water quality improves.

Research, Pilot Programs and Technical Assistance

MDA says there are major knowledge gaps about agriculture’s contribution to identified pollution problems in Minnesota lakes and streams and which agriculture practices actually improve water quality. Money will be used to fund academic research projects that characterize agriculture’s contributions to pollution problems in lakes and streams and identify the best low-cost and least obtrusive cleanup measures. Research will also study the effectiveness of pollution reduction measures on farms and the targeting of practices to critical landscape areas.

Funding will develop pilot projects and demonstration sites that validate best management practices and innovative drainage methods for farmers, regulators and policy makers.

Finally, the money will retain and add professional and scientific staff working with other state and local agencies to “assure that non-point sources of pollution are correctly and appropriately accounted for” within the state’s process identifying polluted lakes and streams.

How the State Department of Agriculture is Spending Legacy Amendment Dollars

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