A key prerequisite for successful strategy development and on-the-ground implementation is meaningful civic engagement. This is distinguished from the broader term ‘public participation’ in that civic engagement encompasses a higher, more interactive level of involvement. Specifically, the University of Minnesota Extension’s definition of civic engagement is “Making ‘resourceFULL’ decisions and taking collective action on public issues through processes that involve public discussion, reflection, and collaboration.” A resourceFULL decision is one based on diverse sources of information and supported with buy-in, resources (including human), and competence. Further information on civic engagement is available at: http://www1.extension.umn.edu/community/civicengagement/
Accomplishments and Future Plans
Local stakeholders in the NFC watershed met to develop a Civic engagement planning team, made up of staff from watershed districts, CROW, DNR and SWCD. The team developed a plan to create diverse ownership in the water resources of the NFC watershed. The team explored what we were doing well and what to accomplish for diverse ownership. A civic engagement plan was developed that outlined deliverables for prioritized projects:
Contact or Meet Ag Community groups and look for ways to assist and work together
Recognition & Publicizing of Efforts in the watershed
Annual Watershed Wide Open House
Project of the Year
MPCA’s NFC Story Map
Expand Recreational Opportunities
Paddle the Crow River Day
Paddler Patch
Fishing Clinics
Establish Local Media Partnerships
Participate in a call in show for local radio
Build Volunteer Programs
Volunteer for every lake and stream stretch
Volunteer Recognition program
Expand Youth Education Programs
Expand Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District’s In-School program
Develop additional Envirothon and YES teams as needed
The MPCA employs a watershed approach to restoring and protecting Minnesota’s rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Money to accelerate efforts to monitor, assess, and restore impaired waters, and to protect unimpaired waters was funded by the Minnesota’s Clean Water Legacy Act.
There are 80 major watersheds in Minnesota. Intensive water quality monitoring and assessments will be conducted in each of these watersheds every 10 years.
During the 10-year cycle, the MPCA and its partner organizations work on each of the state’s 80 major watersheds to evaluate water conditions, establish priorities and goals for improvement, and take actions designed to restore or protect water quality. When a watershed’s 10-year cycle is completed, a new cycle begins.
The primary feature of the watershed approach is that it focuses on the watershed’s condition as the starting point for water quality assessment, planning, implementation, and measurement of results. This approach may be modified to meet local conditions, based on factors such as watershed size, landscape diversity, and geographic complexity (e.g., Twin Cities metro area).
Process for restoring and protecting water quality
Along with the Watershed Approach, the MPCA developed a process to identify and address threats to water quality in each of these major watersheds. This process is called WRAPS or the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy. WRAPS has four major steps or phases.
Step 1. Monitor water bodies and collect data
The cycle begins with a two-year intensive monitoring program of lakes and streams in which the MPCA determines their overall health and identifies impaired waters. Results of monitoring that other state, federal, and local organizations have performed for various purposes are included in the process. Additional information is collected on the watershed’s physical characteristics, including land use, topography, soils, and pollution sources. Outcomes of this step include the creation of a Monitoring and Assessment Report and a Stressor Identification Report on the watershed’s biota (fish, bugs, etc.). Learn more about monitoring.
Step 2. Assess the data
Based on the results of the monitoring in step one, MPCA water quality specialists evaluate the data to:
determine whether or not water resources meet water quality standards and designated uses
identify waters that do not meet water quality standards and list them as impaired waters
identify waters that should be protected
identify stressors affecting aquatic life in streams
Step 3. Develop strategies to restore and protect the watershed’s water bodies
Based on the watershed assessment, a WRAPS report and a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) are completed. The two provide details on water quality issues and identify what needs to be done to clean up streams and lakes that are impaired and to protect those that are at risk of becoming impaired.
Download helpful resources. MPCA staff and contractors will use these tools:
Step 4. Conduct restoration and protection projects in the watershed
In this step, restoration and protection projects are implemented in the watershed. Various local units of government, including watershed districts, municipalities, and soil and water conservation districts, take the lead in developing and carrying out implementation plans based on what is learned during the earlier steps of the process. Civic engagement and public participation are core elements of all steps throughout the process.
Benefits of the watershed approach
MPCA adopted the watershed approach in 2008, as recommended by the 2008 Biennial Report to the Legislature and directed by the Minnesota Legislature. A significant share of the funding for water quality management is provided by the Minnesota Clean Water Fund.
The improved system allows efficient and effective use of public resources in addressing water quality challenges across the state. Concentrating efforts at the major watershed scale ensures:
an ongoing, predictable cycle for water quality management and evaluation
a more efficient approach to addressing impairments
a common framework for monitoring, TMDL studies, assessments, setting required pollutant reductions, and implementation strategies
improved collaboration and innovation
increased stakeholder interest and local support
a reduction in the cost of improving the quality of waters
The water quality management cycles for the 80 major watersheds are staggered, with 8 to 10 watersheds beginning a new cycle each year. By 2017, all watersheds will have at least begun their first cycle, and those that began in 2008 will enter their next cycle.
