District news
Cost-share incentive program to award $20,000 to worthy water projects: application deadline June 1
As the District's water management plan spells out, cost-sharing awards — made to institutions and individuals — aim "to provide educational, technical and financial assistance to landowners (residential, commercial, industrial...etc); to implement projects that have water quality, water quantity, channel maintenance, trout stream, fen or wetland restoration, or aquatic habitat benefit within the District."
Click here for more information and the application form.
For clarifications, you can call District Administrator Terry Schwalbe at 952-856-5880, or email Terry at 
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District sponsors raingarden workshops in Chanhassen & Eden Prairie, May 7 and June 17
Once again, in 2013, the District is sponsoring the excellent work of Metro Blooms, which conducts Rainwater Garden Workshops. (We contributed over $1450 to the cause.) For only $15, you can sign up for a 3-hour sessions that teaches how to build a raingarden in your particular yard. The Chanhassen session starts at 6:00 pm on May 7, 2013, while the Eden Prairie session commences 6:30 pm on June 17. For more information, including registration for these and other workshops, go to the Metro Blooms website.
Larry Samstad, District friend and employee, dies
Samstad, Lawrence E. age 82, of Shakopee. Born 5-14-1930 in Minneapolis, died Sunday 1-13-2013 in Minneapolis. Larry served the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District over the years as Scott County Board Manager, Administrator, and Consulting Engineer. For more information on Larry's long career, see our article "Long Career Devoted to District's Interests."
Turbidity impairs our rivers
Water quality in our rivers and streams is impaired by various pollutants. In the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers, the main pollutants are sediments and nutrients. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has drafted TMDL reports on both rivers for the EPA and invites your comments. (Total Maximum Daily Load = the maximum amount of daily pollutants a water body can receive without exceeding federal Clean Water Act standards.)
Western Minnesota's Renville County poses challenge to Minnesota River
A couple of hours west of the Twin Cities, on US 212, Renville County is one of the state's most intensive agriculture areas. It's also intensively farmed, or "agged," as conservationist Tom Kalahar attests. Read here about the results — which are not necessarily good medicine for the Minnesota River.
DNR purchases Seminary Fen
After year-long negotations with landowners, the state DNR bought a good chunk of the rare calcareous Seminary Fen, near Chaska. MnDOT's recommendation to build a river crossing west of the spot also seems a bright spot in preserving the fen.
Fishing shows Minnesota River is recovering
Just how much has the river recovered in the past 30 years? Quite a way, according to experts and amateurs alike, including those who regularly fish the river (one of the best kept secrets in the region). And yet we still have a way to go.