Blue Earth County Projects

This listing is produced by the Minnesota State Lottery from information provided by project managers and the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources. While we attempt to provide the most current information, specific project locations and allocations do change. Information on projects for the current biennium, in particular, should be regarded as preliminary.

Water Recreation: Boat Access, Fishing Piers and Shore Fishing - 2001-03 biennium. The Department of Natural Resources combined this allocation from the Trust Fund with significant help from local partners to develop five public water access sites around the state, purchase three parcels of land to provide new or expanded access, construct two shore-fishing areas and add or modify eighteen public fishing piers. In Blue Earth County, Trust Fund money helped purchase and install a 64-foot fishing pier east of Mankato at Madison Lake in 2002.

Groundwater Flow in the Prairie du Chien Aquifer - 1999-01 biennium. The Prairie du Chien and underlying Jordan Aquifers supply drinking water to more than 15,000 wells in the Twin Cities, Rochester and other parts of southeastern Minnesota. Groundwater in this part of the state has been contaminated at specific locations including a landfill in northern Olmsted County, the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Ramsey County and beneath sewage treatment ponds in Wabasha and Winona Counties. This project by the University of Minnesota’s Geological Survey is studying the structure and flow of the aquifers to better predict how contamination will travel through these underground waterways so better prevention plans can be developed.

Local Initiatives Grants Program - 1999-01 biennium. Appropriations from the Trust Fund for this project allowed the Department of Natural Resources to fund the Natural and Scenic Area Grants Program, the Conservation Partners Grants Program and the Environmental Partnerships Grants Program during the biennium. More than 140 different projects across the state were approved for matching grants from July of 1999 through June of 2001. In Blue Earth County, the Sisters of Notre Dame School in Mankato received a grant for their restoration work on Good Council Hill / Thompson Creek.

Minnesota River Basin Initiative: Local Leadership - 1999-01 biennium with an extension to June 30, 2002. The Minnesota River has been the subject of many studies and many projects over many years. This project, administered by the Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers Board, was designed to encourage local leadership within each of the 13 major Minnesota River watersheds, implement projects on a cost-sharing basis to improve the river’s water quality and display the results on the Minnesota River Basin Data Center website. Visit http://mrbdc.mnsu.edu/index.html for more information about this project. In Blue Earth County, Trust Fund money was used to help finance the construction of terraces adjacent to the Maple River in Sterling Township to reduce erosion in seven large draws.

Mussel Resource Survey - 1999-01 biennium. During the first two years of this project (this biennium), biologists and other staff from the Department of Natural Resources sampled 886 sites in 32 Minnesota rivers, 64 tributaries and 12 lakes including two sites on the Big Cobb River, five sites on the Blue Earth River, 12 sites on the Le Sueur River, one site on the Maple River, one site on Minneopa Creek, four sites on Perch Creek and five sites on the Watonwan River in Blue Earth County during September and October of 1999 and September of 2000. According to the website for this project, http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ecological_services/nhnrp/mussel_survey/index.html, freshwater mussels, commonly called clams, occur throughout the world but reach their greatest diversity in North America where about 300 species are found. Unfortunately, within the last 100 years mussel communities have declined in abundance and diversity due to dam construction, stream channelization, water pollution and sedimentation, over harvesting and the recent introduction of the exotic Zebra Mussel. In response, groups such as the American Fisheries Society and The Nature Conservancy have identified mussels as the most imperiled group of animals in North America. The primary goal of this project is to build the information base necessary to sustain freshwater mussels in Minnesota. Building this base of information is expected to take about six years to complete.

Minnesota County Biological Survey - 1999-01 biennium and 1997-99 biennium. Minnesota still has pockets of rare plants, animals and natural areas that need to be protected, managed and studied. The Department of Natural Resources is surveying every county in Minnesota to locate these areas. Since the survey began in 1987, 50 counties have been surveyed. Survey work began in Blue Earth County during the 1997-99 biennium and was completed during the 1999-01 biennium.

Public Boat Access and Fishing Piers - 1999-01 biennium. With help from the Minnesota Future Resources Fund and donations from local contributors, Trust Fund money was put to work building and extending fishing piers, developing boat access sites and purchasing land for future access sites. In Blue Earth County, fishing piers were installed at Crystal Lake near Lake Crystal and Lura Lake south of Mapleton during the biennium.

Minnesota River Basin Natural Resource Data Project - 1997-99 biennium. The Minnesota River basin involves 37 counties from Ottertail in the north to Pipestone in the southwest and across to Dakota in the Twin Cities. The Mankato State University’s Water Resources Center is developing a resource center with information on the river basin’s watersheds to help environmental managers and county water planners. Internet access to the data will also be provided.

Environmental Education Teacher Training - 1995-97 biennium. Environmental education is a new field of study that is not required for teacher licensure. The Office of Environmental Assistance is working with universities to develop four such courses that can be required for students and offered to teachers as in-service programs. Under this program, grants were given to Mankato State University for participation of their educators.

Maintaining Native Grasses Along Roadsides - 1995-97 biennium. The way grasses and plants along roadsides are maintained significantly impacts soil and water quality, wildlife and rare plant habitats. Under this program, new technology was used to plant and manage native grasses in road rights-of-way that will protect and improve biological diversity.

Minnesota River Implementation Project - 1993-95 biennium. This project works with landowners and governmental agencies to reduce the high amounts of pollution in the Minnesota River. The goal is to use land management practices that reduce the amount of pollutants and runoff that empty into the river from a 30-county area. The project includes an educational program being used by 15 high schools that brings attention to water quality. Lead agency: Pollution Control Agency.

RIM Critical Habitat Match - 1993-95 biennium. This program provides matching funds to those who want to buy or improve critical fish, wildlife and native plant habitats in Minnesota. Some of these funds are being used to buy natural areas for scientific study, education and nature observation; others are helping restore waterfowl population to their 1970s levels. In Blue Earth County, this program allowed the addition of 78.5 acres to the Maple River Wildlife Management Area and the acquisition of 224 acres at Lura Lake, both near Mapleton. Lead agency: Department of Natural Resources.

Minnesota River Basin Water Quality Monitoring - 1991-93 biennium. This project sought to identify the sources of nonpoint pollution threatening the water quality and uses of the Minnesota River and its tributaries including the Blue Earth River. The results are used to direct state and local pollution programs. Lead agency: Pollution Control Agency.

Sealing Abandoned Wells - 1991-93 biennium. One hundred twenty-six wells were sealed in Blue Earth County through this grant program matching state and county funds. Lead agency: Board of Water and Soil Resources.

South Central Minnesota Surface Water Resources Atlases and Data Bases - 1991-93 biennium. Through this project, Mankato State University gathered data to produce a wide range of maps for much of south central Minnesota. Among the maps produced were general land survey, surface hydrology, weather station locations, point source pollution, incorporation of new land-use maps, population data from the 1990 census, county soil maps and cancer and epidemiology maps. For Blue Earth County, the Mankato State University team produced a new atlas and database relating to surface hydrology.