Environment
Priority watersheds for soil and water conservation
Several priority watersheds around Hennepin County include bodies of water that have become polluted or impaired. These include Rush Creek, Lake Independence and Diamond Creek.
Priority watersheds are geographies that have been identified by a local or state agency as priorities for reducing pollution such as phosphorus, nitrogen, sediment, and E. Coli to improve the water quality of nearby lakes, streams, or rivers.
Cost share funds available
Funding is available for projects on farms in Hennepin County's priority watersheds. The project must improve water quality and farm management. Upgrades can make management easier and help support animal and soil health.
Watershed assessments
Every two years, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) evaluates all waters within the state and creates a list of impaired waters, which are water bodies that fail to meet water quality standards. Though there are many pollutants that can contribute to a water quality impairment, Hennepin County most commonly works to address phosphorus, sediment, dissolved oxygen, and bacteria by doing water quality projects with private landowners. To determine where pollutants are coming from, Hennepin County assesses pollutant contributions to the watershed using computer models.
Hennepin County and its partners work to implement water quality projects with private landowners that reduce pollutants and move towards getting water bodies de-listed from the impaired waters list. Watershed assessments can help determine where it makes the most sense to focus efforts based on a number of factors, such as:
- The amount of pollution a project will remove from an impaired water body
- How much a project will cost
- The cost-effectiveness of the project (in other words, how much the project costs relative to the amount of pollution it will remove)
Priority watersheds are geographies that have been identified by a local or state agency as priorities for reducing pollution such as phosphorus, nitrogen, sediment, E. Coli, etc. to improve the water quality of nearby lakes, streams, or rivers. Hennepin County and its partners have completed watershed assessments to identify water quality improvement opportunities for the following priority watersheds:
Reducing pollution in Hennepin County
Impaired waters
Many lakes, rivers and streams experience high levels of bacteria, sediment from erosion, and nutrients. Nutrients in water bodies can make it a hard place to live for fish, bugs, and other critters that use it as habitat. Bacteria make it unsafe for recreational uses. Areas with elevated levels of sediment, nutrients or bacteria are designated as an impaired water by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
Learn more about Impaired Waters in Minnesota at the MPCA's website: Minnesota’s impaired waters list.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus can contribute to excess algae blooms, which can reduce usability of a water body for recreation. It can also lead to oxygen depletion (eutrophication), which harms wildlife.
Phosphorus has been found in excess levels at:
- The North and South Forks of Rush Creek
- Lake Henry
- Lake Sarah
- Lake Independence
- Dance Hall Creek
- Lake Ardmore
- Diamond Lake
Sediment
Too much sediment in a water body can make the water cloudy. This can harm wildlife and cause oxygen depletion.
Sediment has been found in excess levels at:
- Diamond Lake
- Diamond Creek
E. Coli
E. Coli is a type of bacterial pollutant that can reduce usability of a water body for recreation.
E. Coli has been found in excess levels at:
- The North and South Forks of Rush Creek
- Diamond Lake
Dissolved oxygen
If dissolved oxygen is too low, it can make it more difficult for fish to breathe. If levels reach a certain point, it can cause fish to die off, which can harm the local ecosystem.
Dissolved oxygen is too low at:
- The North and South Forks of Rush Creek
- Diamond Creek