In Kandiyohi County,
Minnesota Board of Water and Soil
Resources staff recently worked with
Hultgren Farms on a wetland restoration.
BWSR received a grant from the USDA's
Natural Resources Conservation Service
through their Wetland Mitigation Banking
Program.
The goal associated with the grant funds
is to develop mitigation banks
with credits that can be used by
producers in the USDA Farm Program.
You will see the progression of this
site in the historic aerial photos
starting in 1938
when all four of the wetlands had not
yet been drained,
and ending with the recent photo and a
certified wetland determination
indicating the wetlands had been
effectively drained
over the years. This land was drained by
subsurface tile
and contained one shallow ditch. The
restoration work disabled the existing
drainage.
Embankments were built, and overflow
outlets were installed that could
effectively manage
water levels even during extreme
rainfall events.
Grant funds allowed BWSR's staff to
provide technical assistance and develop
the mitigation bank plan for this
project. This project is expected to generate 25
wetland credits.
It was pretty amazing to watch, as the
restoration work resulted in almost an
immediate change,
going from completely drained farmland
to having ponded water and starting to
look like a wetland in less than nine
days after the restoration work was
completed. All wetland restorations provide
significant environmental benefits.
But the location of this project will
result in even greater benefits on the
landscape.
this site is within the North Fork Crow
River Watershed, which had recently
developed a comprehensive
watershed protection plan through the
One Watershed, One Plan
program. This project will help to
achieve some of the priority goals
identified in the plan,
such as increasing water storage within
the watershed,
reducing agricultural runoff into nearby
lakes and streams,
and expanding existing habitats into
larger block habitat for wildlife.
Here you will see a before-construction,
during-construction
and after-construction image of Basin
No. 4
looking west. Water is routed from one
wetland to the next wetland downstream
during periods of high water. A water
control structure
with stop logs was installed on the
north end of the project
and connected to the existing tile
system. This structure
effectively conveys water back into the
tile system
when all wetlands are at full capacity. Views of basins 1 and 4 before
and after the restoration show the
significant transformation that occurred
in just one growing season.
These wetlands will be protected in
perpetuity through a conservation
easement
held by the state of Minnesota.
