Cannon River Watershed
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2022 Cannon River Watershed Joint Powers Organization Annual Report
for more information on the Cannon River Watershed follow link on the website below:
Cannon River Watershed Joint Powers Organization Website
for more information on the Cannon River Watershed follow link on the website below:
Cannon River Watershed Joint Powers Organization Website
Cannon River Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan Begins Implementation
Over the past few years, local representatives from county governments, cities, soil and water conservation districts, organizations, and concerned citizens have met to develop a comprehensive watershed management plan for the Cannon River. Stakeholders used the process of One Watershed, One Plan developed by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) to develop the plan.
BWSR officially approved the Cannon River Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (CRCWMP) on June 24th, 2020. In addition to the plan, the Cannon River Watershed Joint Powers Board was also created to serve the goal of implementing the CRCWMP.
The CRCWMP identifies high priority areas based on watershed concerns of the Cannon River and provides conservation practices to implement with the goal of improving water quality. However, the implementation of conservation practices is not limited to only these areas. Conservation across the watershed is important to the health of the Cannon River Watershed.
The Cannon River Watershed covers portions of Waseca, Steele, Rice, Le Sueur, Dakota, and Goodhue Counties. 18 percent of Waseca County is within the Cannon River Watershed. CRCWMP prioritizes treatment in the watersheds of lakes and streams. Waseca County contains both surface water and ground water priority areas.
By implementing conservation practices in the priority areas and across the watershed, Waseca County can improve the water quality of the Cannon River Watershed by reducing sedimentation and nutrient loading of our local lakes and streams.
Staff from the Waseca SWCD will work with landowners and farmers to implement conservation practices. Four different categories will be focused on during the implementation phase of the plan.
The first category is cost-share projects including structural and nonstructural projects. Structural practices will be constructed in the high priority stream watersheds and include projects like waterways and sediment basins. Non-structural practices, including reduced tillage and cover crops, will be implemented in both high priority lake and stream watersheds.
The second category focuses on developing resource concern inventories across the watershed. In Waseca County, a natural shoreline inventory will be developed on Toners Lake and will focus on ways to preserve the shorelines. Septic inventories will be conducted in other counties.
The third category will focus on plan development and tracking progress. Activities in this category will include surveying cover crops and completing terrain analysis for the entire watershed to track progress of the completed projects. Every other year there will be a field day to show locally elected officials and other stakeholders the progress of the plan.
The final category will concentrate on conservation education across the watershed. This will include soil health events, individual letters to landowners on the health of their land, and the development of a plan to further help educate the public on the state of the Cannon River Watershed.
Overall, there is a lot that can be done in Waseca County to help the health of the Cannon River Watershed. This will be a slow process, but over time the implementation of conservation practices will make large, noticeable changes.
To learn more about the plan, please contact the Waseca SWCD or visit the website www.riceswcd.org/cannon-river-joint-powers-board. If your land falls within a high priority area, you may be eligible for special cost-share funding to implement conservation on your property. To find out if you are eligible, call the Waseca SWCD at 507 835-0603.
More information on the Cannon River One Watershed One Plan click on website below:
Cannon River One Watershed, One Plan
Over the past few years, local representatives from county governments, cities, soil and water conservation districts, organizations, and concerned citizens have met to develop a comprehensive watershed management plan for the Cannon River. Stakeholders used the process of One Watershed, One Plan developed by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) to develop the plan.
BWSR officially approved the Cannon River Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (CRCWMP) on June 24th, 2020. In addition to the plan, the Cannon River Watershed Joint Powers Board was also created to serve the goal of implementing the CRCWMP.
The CRCWMP identifies high priority areas based on watershed concerns of the Cannon River and provides conservation practices to implement with the goal of improving water quality. However, the implementation of conservation practices is not limited to only these areas. Conservation across the watershed is important to the health of the Cannon River Watershed.
The Cannon River Watershed covers portions of Waseca, Steele, Rice, Le Sueur, Dakota, and Goodhue Counties. 18 percent of Waseca County is within the Cannon River Watershed. CRCWMP prioritizes treatment in the watersheds of lakes and streams. Waseca County contains both surface water and ground water priority areas.
By implementing conservation practices in the priority areas and across the watershed, Waseca County can improve the water quality of the Cannon River Watershed by reducing sedimentation and nutrient loading of our local lakes and streams.
Staff from the Waseca SWCD will work with landowners and farmers to implement conservation practices. Four different categories will be focused on during the implementation phase of the plan.
The first category is cost-share projects including structural and nonstructural projects. Structural practices will be constructed in the high priority stream watersheds and include projects like waterways and sediment basins. Non-structural practices, including reduced tillage and cover crops, will be implemented in both high priority lake and stream watersheds.
The second category focuses on developing resource concern inventories across the watershed. In Waseca County, a natural shoreline inventory will be developed on Toners Lake and will focus on ways to preserve the shorelines. Septic inventories will be conducted in other counties.
The third category will focus on plan development and tracking progress. Activities in this category will include surveying cover crops and completing terrain analysis for the entire watershed to track progress of the completed projects. Every other year there will be a field day to show locally elected officials and other stakeholders the progress of the plan.
The final category will concentrate on conservation education across the watershed. This will include soil health events, individual letters to landowners on the health of their land, and the development of a plan to further help educate the public on the state of the Cannon River Watershed.
Overall, there is a lot that can be done in Waseca County to help the health of the Cannon River Watershed. This will be a slow process, but over time the implementation of conservation practices will make large, noticeable changes.
To learn more about the plan, please contact the Waseca SWCD or visit the website www.riceswcd.org/cannon-river-joint-powers-board. If your land falls within a high priority area, you may be eligible for special cost-share funding to implement conservation on your property. To find out if you are eligible, call the Waseca SWCD at 507 835-0603.
More information on the Cannon River One Watershed One Plan click on website below:
Cannon River One Watershed, One Plan
Citizens and stakeholders gather at South Central College in Faribault to learn about the Cannon River One Watershed, One Plan process and share comments and concerns. (May 2017).
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A terrace to control gully erosion north of Waseca, Minnesota.
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