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The MPCA began accepting proposed for projects that will reduce nonpoint source pollution in Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, and streams on May 20. Proposals are due June 11. Funding for selected projects will be provided by the Federal Clean Water Act Section 319 (Section 319) grant funds. Proposals for nonpoint source development, education or applied research projects and for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation projects are being solicited from local governmental, non-profit and for-profit organizations.
The MPCA anticipates about $2.5 million will be available this year, contingent upon Congressional Appropriation:
- There is a maximum limit of $300,000 per project funding request.
- Projects must be funded with at least a 45 percent local cash or in-kind match. The federal grant share of the total project cost can be no more than 55 percent.
- Grant funds are limited and the MPCA urges proposers to request only those funds needed to complete a project by Aug. 31, 2017.
The complete Request for Proposal (RFP), proposal form, and other information will be available on the state SWIFT e-supplier portal for Event ID 2000001359. Prospective responders must have a SWIFT Vendor ID and Supplier Portal Account set up to apply. Please note that it can take up to four days to receive your vendor ID from SWIFT. See this SWIFT message for more information. For assistance in registering in the Supplier Portal to bid on this solicitation, call the Minnesota Department of Administration, Materials Management Division at 651-201-8100, option 1, option 1. Then follow the prompts to connect you to the correct contact person.
If you have questions concerning this RFP, email questions to contracts.pca@state.mn.us, subject line: CR 6659, 319-13 Grant.
Proposals must be electronically submitted through the state SWIFT supplier portal no later than 4:30 p.m. June 11, 2013. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered. Successful proposers will be notified in early July 2013 and will then be required to submit a detailed work plan, budget and timeline/Gantt chart. Please note that the RFP schedule has very tight timelines due to the uncertainty of the receipt of federal Section 319 funds. The contracts should be finalized by fall 2013, depending on the date of receipt of the award from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
 MPCA monitoring crews are beginning the sixth year of a 10-year effort to assess the condition of rivers, streams and lakes in Minnesota. This work is being funded by the Clean Water Fund from the constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2008.
Biological monitoring in rivers and streams will be carried out by two biological monitoring units, divided into a north team in Brainerd and a south team in St. Paul. This summer, the north team will work in the Mississippi River-Headwaters, Lake Superior North, Two Rivers, and Snake River (Red River Basin) watersheds. The south team will work in the Rum River, Minnesota River-Mankato, and Watonwan River watersheds.
To see monitoring teams in action, you can watch short videos on fish sampling and invertebrate sampling on the MPCA’s Biological monitoring of water webpage.
Other MPCA monitoring teams working with the Department of Natural Resources and local water resource managers will track water quality trends on the state’s largest rivers and on major tributary rivers at the outlets of most major watersheds in Minnesota.
The stream monitoring is designed to measure and evaluate the condition of rivers and streams by studying the biology, including fish, aquatic invertebrates, and plant life as well as habitat, flow and water chemistry. Examples of aquatic invertebrates include insect larvae, crayfish, snails, small clams, worms and leeches. Stream water chemistry is monitored to provide information about the quality of the water in which these fish and invertebrates live.
Lake-monitoring crews will sample the larger lakes in the same watersheds. The MPCA is committed to monitoring all lakes greater than 500 acres in surface area, and as many lakes more than 100 acres as possible. The lake-monitoring teams will focus on water clarity, nutrient concentrations, and other water chemistry parameters to assess the lakes’ ability to support recreational uses.
Wetland monitoring crews will sample five to 10 wetlands in the headwaters of tributaries to Lake Superior and 20 marsh wetlands across southwestern and northwestern Minnesota.
The MPCA relies on a large contingent of volunteers and local partners to collect water quality data on lakes and streams. Several groups have received funds through Surface Water Assessment Grants to collect water quality data in these watersheds in 2013.
For more information about these monitoring program activities, visit the MPCA’s Water quality condition monitoring webpage.
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 Do you live near a lake or stream in Minnesota, or visit one regularly? If so, the MPCA needs your help! Join more than 1,400 Minnesotans who track the health of their favorite lake or stream through the Citizen Lake or Citizen Stream Monitoring Programs.
These volunteers measure water clarity in their lake or stream weekly throughout the summer months, using simple equipment provided by the MPCA. Water clarity, or transparency, is an important indicator of the health of a lake or stream. The MPCA uses water clarity data to track water quality trends and make decisions on watershed protection and restoration. For some lakes and streams, data collected by volunteers are the only data available, making this work very valuable.
Some volunteers have participated in the MPCA’s water monitoring program for more than 35 years. Long-term volunteers report that monitoring has given them a new way of learning about the lake or stream they love, and volunteers enjoy sharing their knowledge with neighbors who also care about clean water.
To become a volunteer or learn more about the program, visit the MPCA’s website, or call 651-296-6300 (Twin Cities) or 800-657-3864 (Greater Minnesota).
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 The EPA recently approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study for the Lac qui Parle and Yellow Bank watersheds in western Minnesota. These watersheds are part of the Minnesota River Basin. The watersheds have a drainage area of about 1,538 square miles in western Minnesota (824 square miles) and eastern South Dakota (714 square miles).
This TMDL project addresses 19 impairments on 11 stream sections in the Lac qui Parle and Yellow Bank River watersheds. The impairments include bacteria, turbidity, or low dissolved oxygen.
The Lac qui Parle-Yellow Bank Watershed District has partnered with the MPCA in completing this TMDL. The watershed district and agency will now work to develop strategies to reduce the pollutants and restore the rivers to state water quality standards.
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Also recently, the EPA approved the TMDL study on excess nutrients for Benton Lake in the metro area of the Minnesota River Basin. Benton Lake, located in Carver County, west of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, is polluted with excess phosphorus. While phosphorus is an essential nutrient for algae and plants, too much phosphorus can produce frequent summer algal blooms, which interfere with fishing, boating and being able to enjoy the aesthetics of Benton Lake. The MPCA will now work with local partners to develop strategies to restore the lake to state water quality standards.
The MPCA has created a spatial database that maps water quality improvement projects in Minnesota. This new spatial database will give MPCA staff and external partners the ability to see the spatial extent of Minnesota Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) projects in a GIS context. The database can also be used in spatial analysis with other data layers that map features in the environment such as surface water discharges, feedlots, and riparian areas. The availability of these data should help to support collaboration between various organizations involved in water resource management and impaired waters issues in the state.
For more information contact: Thomas Pearson, MPCA Watershed Division.
From bug spray to illegal drugs, a wide variety of chemicals from prescription medicines and personal care products are ending up in Minnesota抯 lakes and rivers, according to a State study.
In the studies, the MPCA randomly sampled lakes and rivers for chemicals used in pharmaceuticals and products like soaps and shampoos. The mosquito repellent DEET was the most often detected, along with chemicals used in antidepressants and antibiotics. Cocaine also showed up frequently. MPCA officials said they didn’t know why, except that cocaine can be carried long distances through the atmosphere and fall to earth with rain and snow.
The chemicals were all detected at very low concentrations, in the low parts per trillion. One part per trillion is equal to one drop of water in pool the size of a football field covered with water 43 feet deep. But, the MPCA says, the findings are concerning because even at low levels, several of the chemicals are known to interfere with hormone function in fish and other aquatic organisms.
Reports on the studies and summary information are available on MPCA’s Endocrine-disrupting compounds webpage. The two reports are titled "Pharmaceuticals and Endocrine Active Chemicals in Minnesota Lakes" and "Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Minnesota’s Rivers and Streams."
Several media reported on the studies, including the StarTribune and Minnesota Public Radio.
The Minnesota Erosion Control Assoc. (MECA) offers an instructional video, “Stabilizing Soils,” on how to keep soil on construction sites and out of lakes and streams. The video covers various options such as mulches, covers and blankets.
MECA and the Stearns County SWCD are offering a Shoreline and Watershed Practices Tour Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The tour starts at the Stearns County Service Center, 3301 County Road 138, Waite Park, Minn., at 8 a.m., with the bus boarding at 8:50 a.m. The fee is $75 for members and $125 for non-members, and includes lunch.
For more information, contact MECA at 320-685-5444 or meca@mnerosion.org.
Testing the waters, a video story on water monitoring crews using advanced tools
New stormwater management requirements help protect water quality
“Results that count for profits, water quality,” a video story about on-farm research
“Farmer reaps benefits from conservation,” a video story on a farmer’s efforts to keep soil on his land and out of Lake Pepin
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