Way down south on the Mississippi River

“Imagine that a crusty old curmudgeon of a guy agrees to let you tag along while he goes fishing in the Louisiana bayou. You get up at 4:45am and sip coffee while yawning on the drive down from New Orleans. When you arrive at the landing, he glances at you and your family, makes a noise that sounds sort of like “eh” and sort of like “well,” and then climbs onto a boat. You follow….”

In this week’s East Metro Water blog post, Angie Hong writes about a fishing adventure way down south on the Mississippi River and the connections our state shares with the people and water quality in the Mississippi River Delta.

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When Development Comes to Town

Washington and Anoka Counties are two of the top ten fastest growing counties in Minnesota, and Isanti is close behind at number eleven. There was a 28% increase in property values in northern Washington County in 2022, and, according to the Star Tribune, the cities of Lake Elmo (1), Lindstrom (2), Cambridge (5), and Stillwater (9) are among the hottest housing markets in the state. What tools exist to help small towns grow in a way that protects natural resources and maintains a sense of community?

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Carnelian-Marine-St. Croix Watershed District recognized as 2023 Watershed District of the Year

In 2023, CMSCWD launched a comprehensive lakeshore protection and restoration program for the ten most popular lakes in the watershed district, developed stormwater treatment projects for Big Carnelian and Big Marine Lakes, and began planning for a future restoration project on Mill Stream in Marine on St. Croix.

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As cities work to reduce their salt use, more action is still needed to protect water resources

Communities across the Twin Cities are currently waging a battle against time, as they work to curb the flow of salt into lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater before it’s too late.

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Minnesota water – some getting better, some getting worse

In the Twin Cities east metro, improving lakes that are set to be “de-listed” include Bone Lake – Scandia (Comfort Lake – Forest Lake Watershed District); White Rock Lake – Scandia, Bald Eagle Lake – White Bear Township, and Golden Lake – Circle Pines (Rice Creek Watershed District); La Lake – Woodbury (South Washington Watershed District); and Kohlman Lake – Maplewood (Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District).

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Two WCD staff members celebrate 20 years of watershed work in Washington County

Erik Anderson and Karen Kill have played lead roles in local watershed work during the past twenty years. What excites them most about their jobs and what changes have they seen in the past two decades?

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Sunrise River wetland enhancement promises cleaner water downstream

In addition to reducing downstream flooding, the Comfort Lake – Forest Lake Watershed District project will also keep 89 pounds per year of phosphorus and 51,000 pounds per year of sediment out of the Sunrise River.

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Living Large on a Small Lake – Exploring Natural Environment Lakes

As much as we like to focus on the biggest and the best, however, roughly 70% of Minnesota’s lakes are actually considered natural environment lakes, a shoreland classification that is generally applied to shallow lakes with limited capacity to absorb the impacts of development and recreational use.

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Building resiliency, one garden at a time

As community stewardship facilitators, Peterson and Maxfield will be working with homeowners’ associations, community groups, and local schools in Washington County.

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Minnesota moves toward cleaner water, one storm drain at a time

Communities roll out enhanced street sweeping programs and engage residents through Adopt-a-Drain.org to take a big bite out of urban stormwater pollution.

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