2014 Annual Report for Cedar River Watershed District

1408 21st Ave. NW Austin, MN 55912 507-434-2603

www.cedarriverwd.org

Cedar River, Mower County

The tire count removed from the Cedar River reached 1100 in 2014!

Ravine Stabilization Project

2014 Annual Report Leading & Partnering on projects to improve the Cedar River Watershed

Partnering with State Agencies

Tire cleanup effort tops 1,100 overall Last summer, a CRWD-led initiative to clean up the Cedar River in Mower County topped more than 1,100 tires removed from the waterway since 2011.

A crew with the Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa helped the CRWD reach that milestone while working on a stretch of the Cedar River, south of Austin, at the request of the CRWD and under its supervision. Conservation Corps and the CRWD have a collaboration that brings them together annually to have work done by Corps members in the watershed.

The tire-removal effort has been part of the local “Adopt-A-River” program started by the CRWD in 2011 to recruit volunteers to “adopt” designated stretches of the Cedar River to clean up from trash and debris at least once a year.

Under the CRWD’s direction, Corps members last summer also removed several blocked portions of the Cedar River to allow canoeists and kayakers to paddle through without portaging.

It is the Cedar River Watershed District’s purpose to reduce flooding and protect and improve water quality in the streams.

CRWD Board of Managers

CRWD/SWCD/NRCS Staff 7 members appointed for staggered 3-year terms. 4 representatives from Mower and 1 each from Dodge, Steele and Freeborn Counties.

Back Row (L to R): Justin Hanson, James Fett, Adam Arndt, Cody Fox, Larry Callahan Front Row: Bev Nordby, Jeanne Crump, Andrea Horsman

Pictured (L to R): Jim Gebhardt (Mower) Mike Merten (Mower) Kevin Kiser (Dodge) Jason Weis (Mower) Steve Kraushaar (Freeborn) Sue Olson (Mower) Not Pictured: Mike Jones (Steele)

From the Chair...

The Cedar River Watershed District is pleased to announce that today’s Cedar River is the cleanest it has been in many decades!

Since 2007, when the CRWD was formed by the state as a local government unit, the CRWD and numerous groups and volunteers have made significant improvements to the Cedar River.

During the past four years alone, over 1,100 tires were removed from Mower County’s section of the Cedar River. Thousands of pounds of other trash and debris have also been eliminated by volunteers and Conservation Corps members under a CRWDled river cleanup initiative.

However, significant additional work will be needed to reach the CRWD’s top goals of reducing flooding and improving water quality on the Cedar River and other local streams in the watershed.

Various projects led by the CRWD, such as wetland restorations, have been built to capture stormwater running off of farm fields. These projects keep pollutants and soil from entering waterways, while at the same time reducing flooding. The CRWD has also implemented cutting-edge streambank protection projects to reduce soil erosion at highly sensitive sites during highwater periods.

In addition, local governments have led the effort to get dozens of households into compliance for sewage systems, eliminating numerous pipes that were discharging sewage directly into local waterways.

On behalf of the CRWD Board of Managers, I want you to know that each of us are striving to make significant progress in the Cedar River Watershed. We are proud of what the CRWD has done in the past eight years and we are excited for what’s to come.

Let’s all keep working together to “revive our river” and to make 2015 an even better year!

Susan Olson, Chair

Large-scale flood detention/water treatment project complete!

A large-scale flood detention and water treatment project was completed in December 2014. The scope of the construction marks the largest project built in the watershed to date. Named for the two participating landowners, the Penkava/Ault project restored historic wetlands and utilized the topography of the land to store water and reduce flows coming into the Cedar River.

The project is located a handful of miles northwest of Austin and started 10 years earlier with a landowner’s dream to restore an old wetland basin. The project was very complex and relied on volunteer landowner support. For the project to be most effective, it would require multiple landowners and a program that offered flexibility and funding to complete.

The CRWD was able to leverage state and federal funding to cover more than 90% of the costs for acquiring the easement and building the structures. The land will remain in permanent easement forever, which means several generations will benefit from the water quality and flood detention benefits.

“Reviving Our River� takes everyone working together to improve the Cedar River and its tributaries. Together, in just a few years, we all have made the Cedar the cleanest it has been in many decades.

Cedar River Watershed District encourages you to join us in continuing to improve and enjoy our beautiful waterways, especially our Cedar River State Water Trail.

CRWD, Austin library offer Waterways Month For a second year, the Cedar River Watershed District held a Waterways Month throughout June at the Austin Public Library. Five free, public presentations, along with photo displays and information, including brochures on the Cedar River State Water Trail were offered. The presentations covered a variety of topics related to the Cedar River Watershed and enjoying the outdoors.

Presentations included: Showing of the all-ages movie “Can You Canoe?” by The Okee Dokee Brothers, a Grammy Awardwinning, Americana folk duo based in Minneapolis.

“The Future of East Side Lake” by CRWD resource specialist Justin Hanson.

“City of Austin Flood Project Update” by City Engineer Steven Lang.

“Historic Images of the Cedar River” by Tim Ruzek, CRWD public outreach coordinator.

“Photography in the Cedar River Watershed” by longtime Austin photographer Nate Howard.

CRWD plans to offer Waterways Month again this year, but details will be confirmed later in spring.

CRWD staff hosts new drainage concepts field day Cedar River Watershed staff hosted a field day in July 2014, to showcase a new drainage concept. Using a dual-stage drainage inlet concept shows how these projects can be fit to be more efficient for farmers, yet capture and store sediment on the field. This keeps the sediment from being transported downstream and stores it where it can still be brought back to the field if lost.

Drainage pipes are critical to convey water off productive fields but in a way that is efficient yet keeping our waters clean. The field day was sponsored by a federal 319 grant to help educate on how important projects are to farmers and everyone downstream.

The photos to the right demonstrate the project process.

Step 1. Site assessment, solution planning Step 2. Field day, educational event.

Step 3. Project complete.

CRWD rules revision The Cedar River Watershed District (CRWD) Board of Managers has taken the last nine months to revise the rules for needed changes and amendments.

It has been 4 years since the rules were adopted.

CRWD would like to clarify some areas of the rules as well as make minor changes. You will find that the amended rules are less restrictive and easier to understand. Amending Watershed District rules follows the State Statues by sending revisions to all public road authorities and local governments asking for input. A public hearing then is scheduled and public notices are sent to the local news papers.

The public hearing for the amended rules is scheduled for March 25th at 6:00 PM at the CRWD office. You also can find the rules on our web site at: www.cederriverwd.org.

If you have any questions, please call our office and talk to James or Bev at 507-434-2603.

Cedar River Watershed District 1408 21st Ave. NW Austin, MN 55912 507-434-2603 www.cedarriverwd.org

CRWD awarded by Izaak Walton League MN Division Last fall, the Cedar River Watershed District received the Ray Haik Watershed District Award from the Izaak Walton League Minnesota Division.

Gary Schwartz, the Izaak Walton League Minnesota Division National Director, presented the award to CRWD Resource Specialist Justin Hanson at a ceremony on September 8th in Austin.

CRWD was nominated for the 2014 award based on applying for and receiving grant funds to support river and stream improvements, successfully implementing flood control and wetland projects with local landowners, partnering with local groups to clean up the Cedar River and educating the public through presentations during Waterways Month in June.