Camie Miller

Water from rainfall or snowmelt that doesn’t evaporate or soak into the soil runs into ditches, streams, wetlands, or lakes. The land area from which the water drains is called a watershed. Watersheds may vary in size. If water from a few acres drains into a little stream, those few acres are its watershed. More simply defined; a watershed is an area of land that drains to a common point, usually a stream, river, lake, or wetland. The drainage of a watershed includes the water above and below the earth’s surface.

The people, wildlife, and all industries within a watershed potentially influence the water quality in nearby streams and lakes. Understanding how common daily activities affect a watershed is important in improving and maintaining water quality.

There are two types of pollution within a watershed. The most obvious type of pollution is point source pollution, because it comes from a specific point and is relatively easy to locate and control. Examples of point source pollution may be industrial or municipal sewage released through a treatment plant pipe draining into a lake or stream. State and federal laws have been in place to regulate this pollution since 1972.

The less obvious pollution sources are called nonpoint source pollution (NPS). NPS causes equal harm to our waters by quietly seeping into the surface water and groundwater without warning. NPS is not easy to pinpoint or control. Natural processes have been impacted by human activities and have speeded up or modified much of this type of pollution. An exact definition of NPS is nearly impossible, however most NPS is associated with stormwater runoff, which carries sediment, nutrient, toxins, and organic material into receiving waters. The amount of pollution from nonpoint sources in an individual watershed is extremely variable and depends on several factors: rainfall, vegetation, soil erodibility, topography, and human alteration of physical features.

The major pollutants include:

• Sediments: product of erosion, US’s largest single water pollutant
• Nutrients: Nitrogen & Phosphorus are essential for aquatic life, in abundant they cause problems such as algae, weeds, drinking water concerns
• Toxic Materials: Pesticides, industrial solvents, industrial chemical wastes, petroleum products, and heavy metals. These may cause aquatic organisms to concentrate these chemicals in their bodies, cause poisons or lethal drinking water, and health problems if consumed by humans or animals.

• Organic Materials: Plant debris and animal waste contribute nutrient and oxygen-demanding materials to water. Bacteria decompose organic materials and consume oxygen in the process. If the supply of organic materials is excessive, the oxygen supply in a lake or stream may become seriously depleted. The less dissolved oxygen in a lake or stream the less capable the water is of supporting a variety of fish and aquatic life.

In 1987 Congress reauthorized the Clean Water Act to include nonpoint source pollution in Section 319. Section 319 provided necessary financial assistance for projects addressing the impacts of nonpoint source pollution. At the state level, the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDH) is the lead water quality agency responsible for administration and implementation of the state’s NPS Management Program. The Section 319 funds are available through the NDDH to support state or local projects which promote voluntary reduction or control of NPS pollution. The local sponsors for a 319 project in ND are the soil conservation districts.

Agriculture being the largest industry in ND, it has been the primary focus of the state’s NPS Program. Since 1990, a majority of the state’s Section 319 funds have been directed towards locally sponsored projects promoting voluntary NPS pollution control on agricultural lands. These funds are generally used to implement various information/education activities and/or to provide the necessary financial and technical assistance to landowner implementing Best Management Practices (BMP) on their farms. BMP’s are conservation practices such as conservation tillage, grassed waterways, grazing rotation, livestock waste management facilities, or fencing.

Section 319 funding is available to local project sponsors through a competitive grant application process. Applicants compete with other EPA Region VIII states. Up to 60% of all eligible project expenses can be funded through the Section 319 program. The remaining 40% must be derived from local nonfederal sources in cash or in-kind. In-kind is the value of non-cash contributions donated to the project to accomplish its goals and objectives.

Ultimately the success of any NPS pollution watershed project will be dependent on the sponsor’s ability to demonstrate to local residents that NPS pollution control and water quality improvement practices can co-exist with agribusiness and be profitable.

Background:

• Corps of Engineers dam constructed in 1966 for flood control and drinking water
• Semi-arid region of southwestern ND & northwestern SD
• Popular recreational facility
• Start date, Fall 1990

Project Size:

• 304,000 acres
• cropland 29%
• rangeland 55%
• hayland/pastureland 15%
• recreational, wildlife, other 1%
• Production: Spring wheat, Durum wheat, Oats, Barley, Livestock

Accomplishments:

• 106 conservation plans on 187,471 acres (62% of watershed)
• 603,922 tons of soil has been prevented from reaching the dam
• Exceed the project goal of a 20% reduction in sediment reaching the lake
• Total Expenditures = $3,378,559
• Benefits exceed project costs by a ratio of 1.3 to 1.0
• Water Quality monitoring sites

• 59% reduction in Nitrogen
• 74% reduction in Phosphorus
• 81% reduction in Suspended solids

• Wind erosion potential was reduced from 16% to 4%

Activities:

• Quarterly newsletters to 225 producers
• Tours, demonstration, radio and TV interviews, public meetings
• SCD no-till drill rental program to promote conservation tillage
• Corps of Engineers and volunteers have planted 63,745 trees round dam
• Multiple youth activities

1. Steering Committee

Form a steering committee with representation from multiple, interested organizations within the watershed such as: Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, local water board, county commissioners, extension agents (university staff), and any other special interest groups. This committee should have brain storming session to recognize resource concerns in the watershed, the need for a conservation program, possible funding sources, set goals for a project, and any other groups or organizations that may want to participate in a watershed project.

2. Public Meetings

A very affective and positive public relations technique is to hold public meetings throughout the watershed to inquire and gather producers participation and support. Recognize producer’s resource concerns and explain the steering committee’s resource concerns. Explain the conservation programs and the details and benefits of a watershed project and how it will improve water quality and their individual operations.

3. Application

Accurately and efficiently complete all application to funding resources you have selected. In the US apply through the state health department or the EPA. Apply for funds to conduct an in-depth watershed assessment to scientifically prove the need for a project.

4. Watershed Assessment

The assessment phase is an inventory of the existing condition of the watershed. An assessment should include a land use inventory, water samples and water quality data, water monitoring sites, and a riparian area assessment. This assessment will be as unique as each watershed.

5. Final Approval Process

Submit the watershed assessment and final project proposal to the funding sources. Upon approval implement the project with more public meetings, newsletters, mailings, radio spots, and/or educational events and tour to keep the public informed of the projects progress.