The Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership includes 15 local government partners in Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Pine and Washington Counties who are working collaboratively to improve the St. Croix River, as well as local lakes and streams.
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All articles filed in Partners and Updates
Plants tell the story of a lake in recovery
Between 1970 and 2002, Long Lake in Stillwater experienced a slow decline caused by farming, development, and stormwater runoff. Since then, the Brown’s Creek Watershed District, City of Stillwater, and local landowners have completed more that 100 projects to restore the lake to good health.
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Twenty-six local projects to receive funding from Minnesota’s 3M settlement agreement
Twenty-six east metro projects will receive a total of $20 million in funding from a 2018 settlement agreement. These projects are intended to improve local lakes, rivers, and streams, restore wildlife habitat, and add new fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities.
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A view from above tells stories of people and water
Over the past year, Taylor Mills has been working with the South Washington Watershed District to document water and habitat restoration projects across the watershed, from Woodbury to Grey Cloud Island. She is a Minnesota-born video, photo, and drone professional who specializes in cinematic storytelling that is filmed from above.
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How long is forever? Understanding PFAS (aka. Forever Chemicals) and their local impacts
This March, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) issued updated fish consumption advisories for several lakes and rivers statewide that are impacted by mercury and PFAS.
Would you like to learn more about PFAS and its local impacts? Freshwater and the East Metro Water Education Program will co-host an info session for volunteers and local residents on Wednesday, April 8 (6-8pm) at the Oakdale Discovery Center. Dr. Ali Ling of the University of St. Thomas will speak and there will also be time for questions and conversation. Register at minnesotawaterstewards.org/pfas.
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Minnesota Pollution Control Agency launches new SMART salt module for rural communities
Road maintenance in rural communities like Grant and Stillwater Township is significantly different than in larger cities like Oakdale and Woodbury. A new rural roads training module aims to help small communities stretch their limited public works budgets while also protecting local lakes and streams from salt and sediment pollution.
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Helping homeowner associations navigate stormwater and green infrastructure maintenance
The East Metro Water Education Program (EMWREP) and University of Minnesota have worked together to develop an education toolkit and launch a three-part Stormwater Leadership Series for HOA board members, which was piloted tis spring5.
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Beaver Love: A new initiative aims to help beavers and people co-exist in harmony
Last winter, Andy Riesgraf and Emily Fairfax teamed up to establish Beaver Innovations LLC, a UMN start-up company that is focused on finding ways to help beavers and people coexist in harmony.
The duo’s first three beaver co-existence projects are located in Washington County at the Big Marine Park Reserve expansion site and Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park, made possible by funding from Pollinator Friendly Alliance’s biodiversity project.
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Cattails to the rescue?
Could cattails help to solve phosphorus and chloride pollution in some of our lakes and wetlands? A new pilot initiative led by the South Washington Watershed District (SWWD) aims to find out.
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Improvements at Square Lake Park will help to keep the water pristine
Square Lake is one of the clearest lakes in the Twin Cities area and ranks in the top 1% for water clarity in the entire North Central Hardwood Forest Ecoregion of Minnesota. New park improvements underway this fall are designed to help keep Square Lake clean for years to come.
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East Metro Water 