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What’s one of the simplest, high-impact ways to save water and help protect our watershed? Using a rain barrel.
The workshop will begin with a presentation on how home lawn and garden practices impact our waters and how we can make a difference. Next, we’ll discuss the watershed-friendly benefits of rain barrels in more detail, then review how to build, incorporate, install and maintain them.
With guidance from Friends of the Mississippi River staff, participants will then build their very own rain barrel to take home following the workshop. Participants will receive the necessary parts ($35 per kit) and be guided through the process of converting used syrup barrels from Great Lakes Coca-Cola of Eagan, into a rain barrel to take home and install.
Seeding + garlic mustard pull at Vermillion River Linear Park
Join the Vermillion Stewards in distributing native seed and removing garlic mustard at Vermillion River Linear Park in Hastings. Friends of the Mississippi River staff will provide instructions. Please contact Sophie Downey to register. FMR requests limiting groups to 4 or fewer.
Open House – Hastings Drinking Water Supply Management Area Groundwater Protection Rule Process
Do you farm or own cropland in the Hastings Drinking Water Supply Management Area (DWSMA)?
The City of Hastings has high nitrate in their city wells. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is working with a team of local farmers, crop advisers, and others to develop a list of region-specific farming practices to reduce nitrate in groundwater and the city wells.
Join us to learn and share ideas about the proposed practices and the Groundwater Protection Rule process. Practice adoption is voluntary but could become regulatory if the voluntary approach is unsuccessful.
MDA staff will be available to discuss these topics, collect comments and ideas from farmers, and answer questions. A 30-minute presentation will be shared at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Minnesota Ag-Urban Partnership Forum
Plan to participate in person to learn more about the ways that agricultural and urban partners are working together to prepare for extreme weather events and improve water quality around Minnesota. This fourth annual event will focus on extreme weather resiliency, with keynote speaker, Heidi Roop, Ph.D., director, Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership at the University of Minnesota.
Who should attend?
Agricultural, government, local, and urban partners looking for ideas on how to develop and strengthen their relationships while improving the water quality of Minnesota lakes and streams are encouraged to attend.
Online registration is open. Registrations are requested before Feb. 21, 2023, to help finalize preparations for the event.
Public Meeting: Alimagnet Lake Feasibility Study
This spring and summer, the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization (VRWJPO) is leading an Alimagnet Lake alum (aluminum sulfate) treatment feasibility study. City of Burnsville and City of Apple Valley natural resources staff are also participating in the process. VRWJPO has hired a consultant, Barr Engineering, to conduct field work, analyze data and help put together the final feasibility report. This report is expected to be completed in July. We are hosting a public meeting on July 20, 2023 where the findings of the report will be presented.
What is an alum treatment?
An alum treatment is a common water quality improvement practice in shallow lakes that have excessive phosphorus and poor water clarity as a result of algae growth. Often times phosphorus is released into the water column from lake bottom sediments during the summer months. When alum is added to the water, it attaches to phosphorus and falls to the bottom of the lake, preventing it from feeding algae and improving water clarity. Increased clarity following alum treatments can also lead to increased aquatic plant growth, which help to keep phosphorus levels in check.
One of the first steps in planning for a potential alum treatment is to conduct a feasibility study, which will determine whether Alimagnet Lake is a good candidate for the treatment, and if it is, how to most effectively apply alum in the lake, and the estimated costs. The study will also look at alternative solutions to improve water quality, other than an alum treatment.
At the public meeting, there will be a short presentation to present the findings of the study and then time for attendees to ask questions or provide feedback on the findings. If alum treatment is determined to be a feasible option for Alimagnet Lake, VRWJPO would anticipate applying for a grant in late summer of 2023 to obtain funding to complete the work. No treatment would occur prior to 2024.
If you have any questions regarding the public meeting, please feel free to contact Caleb at 952-895-4543 or caleb.ashling@burnsvillemn.gov.