2015 Annual Report & News Letter: An Exhausting, but Productive Year

Each year seems to get busier. Heavy rains and the Presidential Disaster Declaration made 2014 a busy year, but 2015 was even busier. Fortunately, rain in 2015 was close to normal enabling us to focus on disaster mitigation (rather than response), and on implementing land and water treatment practices. Scott WMO and County staff spent considerable time at the capital in early 2015 as the legislature held hearings and considered disaster relief assistance. These efforts were ultimately successful with legislation passed during the special session. The Scott WMO received funding to buy out a home threatened by a landslide, and for the Quarry Creek Collaborative Project. The County and Townships received funding to cover the non-federal share for various road repairs. The Scott SWCD received funding to assist the repair of landowner conservation practices, and to stabilize new erosion damage caused during the disaster. With this funding the Scott SWCD approved 20 to 30 projects in 2015 in addition to those approved under the normal Technical Assistance and Cost Share (TACS) program. With our partner, the Scott SWCD, busy repairing damaged practices we anticipated that the number of new TACS program practices approved would be down slightly from 2014. However, the number approved was significant, an all time high at 111 (page 14). Some of this was due to a new successful grant application for $2.2 million from the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) for the Sand Creek Targeted Watershed Project. With the Scott SWCD staff busy, we used grant money and worked with the Le Sueur and Rice SWCDs to approve 21 practices in the upstream portions of the Sand Creek watershed. The grant also provided funding to start addressing the more significant erosion sites along Sand Creek. Efforts focused on a Feasibility Study and engineering design, with construction for stabilizing priority sites in the fall of 2016 (page 8). Progress was also made on the construction of other capital projects. Raingardens constructed in 2014 as part of the Cleary Lake Regional Park Stormwater Retrofit project were planted. The Pexa Drive Prairie site was prepared and seeded at Cedar Lake Farm Regional Park. The Quarry Creek Collaborative project was bid, with the contractor completing 80% of the construction by the end of 2015 (page 7). We also had a pleasant surprise with the low bid coming in about $1 million less than the engineer's estimate. We also had a record year for Aquatic Invasive Species control efforts, and were able to successfully treat portions of four lakes (Cedar, McMahon, O'Dowd and Thole Lakes; Page 9). Our education and outreach efforts were completed as planned, and we are able to monitor Picha Creek, and four lakes with help from volunteers. Finally, we were also subject to a performance review by the BWSR. We were rated a top performer for water management with only two suggestions for improvement. We met 11 out of 12 of BWSR's High Performance Standards. BWSR also surveyed Scott WMO partners, finding that 92 percent believe their relationship with Scott WMO is strong and beneficial. Overall it was a productive year. However, what is more gratifying is that some of our lakes are improving (O'Dowd and McMahon; Page 19), and we should be able to be able to get them removed from the USEPA Impaired Waters List.