North-Central - 52nd Annual Meeting

Paper No. 26-5
Presentation Time: 9:20 AM

THE MISSOURI RIVER WATERSHED ONE WATERSHED, ONE PLAN: USING INNOVATION TO GUIDE LOCAL PLANNING EFFORTS


OLM, Rachel M., Houston Engineering, Inc., 6901 E. Fish Lake Road, Suite 140, Maple Grove, MN 55369

In 2012, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) began a statewide process to drive local water resources planning, management, and project efforts within a watershed. The One Watershed, One Plan (1W1P) departs from traditional efforts guided by multiple plans and instead encourages local partners to work together to develop a collaborative watershed-based management plan that consistently and concurrently drives efforts in the same positive direction.

In 2016, Missouri River Watershed (MN) applied and was selected to undergo the 2-year process of developing a 1W1P. The plan area encompasses all or portions of Rock, Pipestone, Nobles, Jackson, Lincoln, and Murray counties and the Kanaranzi-Little Rock and Okabena-Ocheda Watershed Districts. The plan development is currently nearing its halfway point.

The Missouri River Watershed 1W1P planning effort is focused on developing an innovative, credible, implementation-focused plan, geared towards fixing locally prioritized issues. The plan incorporates methodologies to both define altered hydrology and set measurable goals for mitigating impacts of a hydrologically-impacted watershed. The plan will also incorporate a “land stewardship” concept, claiming good work already being done by rural, urban, and shoreland residents, and encouraging implementation of practices aimed at improving soil health.