Lake Superior North: One Watershed, One Plan

The One Watershed, One Plan (1W1P) legislation passed by the State of Minnesota in 2013 provided authorization and funding to the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) for assistance and grants to local governments to transition local water management plans to a watershed-based approach. Based on this legislation, BWSR sought nominations in early 2014 and selected five watershed areas for piloting the program on June 25, 2014. The Lake Superior North Watershed (LSNW) was one of the five watersheds selected for this pilot program. The LSNW was selected to develop a Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan. This all-inclusive Plan leverages the existing requirements for local government comprehensive water management plans and has the highest standards of the three options for 1W1P pilot plan development. A Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan should address surface water and groundwater resources, water quality and quantity and land use. The implementation actions identified in the Plan will use a broad range of tools including capital improvements, official controls and various programs and initiatives to achieve the goals of the Plan. The LSNW 1W1P identifies the priorities, management goals and implementation activities that Cook and Lake Counties and the Cook and Lake County Soil and Water Conservation Districts intend to address over the next ten years with this watershed. Water management planning and activities in areas of both Lake and Cook Counties outside the LSNW boundary will continue to be directed by the current Local Water Management Plan that is in place for each county. As Lake and Cook Counties transition to comprehensive watershed planning processes in all watersheds within the counties, these watershed-scale plans will replace the Local Water Management plan in those areas.