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Elm Creek Watershed

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?.

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Elm Creek Watershed

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  1. Elm Creek Watershed Green Lands, Blue Waters Annual Conference November 20-21, 2013 Linda Meschke, Rural Advantage

  2. Elm Creek Watershed

  3. Elm Creek • HUC 10 • 173,000 acres • Land Use • Agricultural • Corn • Soybeans • Swine • Towns • Bergen • Trimont • Northrup • Jackson

  4. 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

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. Target Priorities:How Can Continuous Living Cover Be Applied? • Nutrient Management • Commercial Fertilizer • Manure • Cover Crops • Drainage Water Management • Soil Erosion • Soil Health • Buffers

  8. 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

  9. What is Next? • Tile Outlet Treatment Trains • Drainage Management • MN Ag Water Quality Certainty Program • Conservation Planning • CLC Mindset

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