BRRW Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan:
Final BWSR Prescribed Plan

The Buffalo-Red River Watershed Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (BRRW CWMP) was developed out of a statewide program known as the One Watershed, One Plan (1W1P) authorized by statute (103B.801). It represents an effort to develop a single, concise, and coordinated approach to watershed management. This plan is written to guide local water managers and consolidates policies, programs and implementation strategies from existing data, studies and plans, and incorporates input from multiple planning partners to provide a single plan for management of the watershed. Previously, numerous county and watershed district plans were developed for different areas of this watershed with little attention paid to coordination at the watershed scale. This plan’s purpose is to build on existing plans and information to develop goals and targeted and measurable implementation actions to better manage water resources in this watershed.

The Buffalo-Red River Watershed One Watershed, One Plan (1W1P) was reviewed and prescribed by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil (BWSR) on 10/28/20.  Follow the links below to view the final Buffalo-Red River Watershed (BRRW) Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan (CWMP) and Appendix.   

2020 BRRW CWMP

BRRW CWMP Appendix

Thank you on behalf of the members of the BRRW 1W1P LGUs:

The Counties of Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, and Wilkin
The Becker, Clay, West Otter Tail and Wilkin Soil and Water Conservation Districts
The Buffalo-Red River Watershed District

1W1P Plan History and Background

The Buffalo-Red River Watershed (BRR) One Watershed, One Plan (1W1P) planning area is located in the west central Minnesota. The approved boundary is the same as the Buffalo-Red Watershed District (BRRWD) Boundary as recommended to BWSR by the 1W1P Planning Committee. The planning area drains 1,785 square miles, contains all or parts of three major watersheds: Buffalo River, Otter Tail River, and Upper Red River, and  encompasses parts of Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, and Wilkin counties.

The Buffalo-Red River watershed is one of seven areas that are participating in the second round of 1W1P that has been approved by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). The BRRWD is working with local government agencies from Becker, Clay, Wilkin, and Otter Tail Counties to create a single plan for the watersheds. Cooperation throughout multiple, connected jurisdictions is important because water management in one county affects the waters of all the other counties. Participation in the 1W1P Program will benefit the LGUs by combining our planning efforts and reducing redundancy in time and dollars used for plan writing and meetings.  

The 1W1P will establish clear implementation timelines, milestones and cost estimates for restoration and protection activities. Combining multiple water planning efforts into one effort will create a more efficient and cooperative plan for water management. Plans will include goals and implementation actions that are prioritized and targeted on a watershed basis with measurable results, instead of the present individual plans that are restricted to political boundaries.

One Watershed, One Plan Information

1W1P Fact Sheet (BWSR)

BWSR 1W1P Website 

News & Updates

The Buffalo-Red River 1W1P Advisory and Policy Committees typically meet on the 4th Wednesday of each month from 9:00 AM to Noon in the BRRWD Office, 1303 4th AVE NE, Barnesville, MN.

The next meeting dates:  
  
Planning Team: To Be Announced
Advisory Committee:  To Be Announced
Policy Committee:  To Be Announced
     

Approved Meeting Minutes

• 04-06-18 Policy Committee Meeting
• 04-18-18 Planning Team Meeting
• 05-04-18 Policy Committee Meeting
• 09-28-18 1W1P Initial Planning Kickoff Meeting
• 11-01-18 Joint Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting
• 11-28-18 Joint Advisory/Policy Committees/Planning Team Meeting
• 11-28-18 Joint Policy Committee/Planning Team Meeting
• 12-20-18 Joint Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting
• 12-20-18 Joint Policy Committee/Planning Team Meeting
• 02-27-19 Joint Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting
• 03-27-19 Joint Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting 
• 04-24-19 Joint Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting
• 05-29-19 Joint Policy Committee/Planning Team Meeting
• 06-19-19 Joint Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting
• 08-28-19 Joint Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting
• 07-24-19 Policy Committee Meeting
• 10-23-19 Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting

Meeting Dates/Materials

• October 23, 2019 Advisory Committee Meeting
      1:00-3:00 PM, BRRWD Office, Barnesville, MN
  • Meeting Materials
    Advisory Committee Agenda 

• September 25, 2019 Planning Team Meeting
      9:00 AM-Noon, BRRWD Office, Barnesville, MN
  • Meeting Materials
    Planning Team Agenda 

• August 28, 2019 Advisory Committee Meeting
      1:00-3:00 PM, BRRWD Office, Barnesville, MN
  • Meeting Materials
    Advisory Committee Agenda 

• July 24, 2019 Policy Committee Meeting
      10:30 AM-Noon, BRRWD Office, Barnesville, MN
  • Meeting Materials
    Policy Committee Agenda
    Goals Summary
    Section 2 Issues
    Administration Plan

• July 16, 2019 Planning Team Meeting
      9:00-11:00 AM, BRRWD Office, Barnesville, MN      
  
  • Meeting Materials:
    Planning Team Agenda
    AIG Executive Summary
    Local Rules & Ordinances 
    Draft Capital Improvement Project Definitions & List

• June 19, 2019 Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting
     Advisory Committee Meeting – 1:00-3:00 PM, BRRWD Office, Barnesville, MN      
  
  • Meeting Materials:
    Advisory Committee/Planning Team Agenda
    Goals Summary
    Plan Section 3 Introduction 
     
      
    
• May 29, 2019 Policy Committee/Planning Team Meeting
      Policy Committee Meeting -10:30 AM to Noon, BRRWD Office, Barnesville, MN      
  
  • Meeting Materials:
    Policy Committee Agenda
    1W1P Plan Section 2 for Review
    Policy Committee Meeting Presentation   
       
       
    
• April 24, 2019 Joint Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting
     Advisory Committee Meeting -9:00-11:30 AM, BRRWD Office, Barnesville, MN
     Planning Team Meeting-1:00-3:00 PM
  • Meeting Materials:
    Advisory Committee Agenda
    Draft Revised Measurable Goals and Introduction to Plan Section 3
    BRRWD Protection and Restoration Mapping Technical Memorandum 

• March 27, 2019 Joint Advisory Committee/Planning Team Meeting
     9:00-11:30 AM, BRRWD Office, 1303 4th AVE NE Barnesville, MN
  • Meeting Materials:
    Advisory Committee/Planning Team Agenda

• February 27, 2019 Joint Policy Committee/Planning Team Meeting
    11:00AM, BRRWD Office, 1303 4th AVE NE Barnesville, MN
  • Meeting Materials:
    Policy Committee/Planning Team Agenda
    Planning Team Approved Prioritization List 

Whiskey Creek Enhancement Project

Engineer’s Report 11-19-20

Environmental Assessment Worksheet Availability Notice 

Environmental Assessment Worksheet

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Record of Decision

The Board of Managers, Buffalo-Red River Watershed District (BRRWD), is working with the Wilkin County Environmental Office regarding a grant they secured from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources to look at a potential project involving Whiskey Creek near Kent, MN. 

Whiskey Creek is a tributary to the Red River of the North located in Wilkin County, MN. The creek is one of many natural waterways within the BRRWD political boundary.  The Whiskey Creek subwatershed is approximately 157 square miles in area and extends from northeast of Rothsay in Otter Tail County flowing through the Red River Prairie eco-region in Wilkin County, outletting near Kent, Minnesota. Drainage within the subwatershed generally runs from east to west and south to north, though portions in the upper subwatershed drain north to south.

The Whiskey Creek subwatershed was only recently added within the BRRWD political boundary when the District expanded in 2012. However, discussions about a potential project involving Whiskey Creek have been occurring between landowners and Wilkin County for at least 20 years. Wilkin County, in partnership with the BRRWD, secured a 2016 Clean Water Fund (CWF) Accelerated Implementation Grant (AIG) from the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources (BWSR) to begin studying the creek and investigating what could be done. The scope of work for the AIG included civic engagement, topographic survey data collection, hydraulic modeling, project development, preliminary engineering design, and reporting.

With the AIG grant funding, the BRRWD collected the existing channel geometry for Whiskey Creek and its public waters tributaries starting in the summer of 2016 and completed in the winter of 2017. Channel geometry collected included cross-sections, channel centerline profile, sediment test pits, and culvert and bridges along Whiskey Creek, the Wilkin County Ditch 1A/1B Tributary, and the Wilkin County Ditch 6A Tributary. The collected channel survey information was used to supplement Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) topography data. LiDAR does not penetrate through water to pick up the bottom of the channel, so ground survey was required to fill in the gap in the LiDAR data that existed in those areas that had water on them at the time of the LiDAR survey. In addition to conventional GPS rover survey collection, stream bathymetry data was collected in regions where water depths exceeded wadable conditions. The combination of the LiDAR, ground survey, and stream bathymetric survey information was used in the planning and development of the restoration design.

The Project Goals & Objectives for the Whiskey Creek Restoration Project are as follows:

· Improve water quality by reducing sediment and nutrient loadings to the creek
· Improve natural waterway drainage
· Improve wildlife habitat along the stream corridor
· Reduce sediment loading downstream
· Reduce the occurrence and magnitude of flood damages to agricultural fields and adjacent residential properties

 Fundamentally, the goal of the Whiskey Creek Enhancement Project is to provide and foster stable stream conditions. A stable stream is defined by the MN DNR as a stream that is able to convey both its water and sediment load while maintaining its general geometric characteristics, including pattern, profile, and dimension. A stable stream neither aggrades nor degrades over time, but instead balances between the processes of erosion and deposition in a way that does not widen or narrow the channel.

The CWF AIG Final Study Report, prepared by Houston Engineering, Inc., dated February 7, 2018, (available below) was presented to the public at the 12/13/18 landowners’ informational meeting.

Final Study Report 

December 13, 2018 Landowner Informational Meeting

• 12/13/18 Informational Meeting Minutes

June 27, 2017 Landowner Meeting documents and notice

• Landowner Meeting Notice and Project Map

• Whiskey Creek Preliminary Plans (104 MB)

• Side Inlet-Landowner Locations-Map

• Flood Inundation Map

• Landowner Informational Meeting Presentation

Stony Creek Water Resource Management Project

EAW Findings of Fact
EAW Findings of Fact Distribution Letter
EAW Findings of Fact Distribution List

Environmental Assessment Worksheet Distribution Letter & List
Environmental Assessment Worksheet Availability Notice
Environmental Assessment Worksheet

Stony Creek WRMP Project Concept Plan

Proposer: Buffalo-Red River Watershed District

Description/Location:

The project area is located approximately 5 miles to the northwest of Barnesville, MN and is located on Clay County Ditch No. 31 (also known as Stony Creek). The watershed is steep and flashy and has a drainage area of 35 square miles. The project is in the BRRWD’s Central Planning Region. The project is currently in its study phase. The project consists of numerous features: 4.5-mile-long river corridor restoration enclosed by setback levees, a floodwater impoundment and expansion of buffers along Stony Creek and its tributaries. The proposed 7,000 acre-feet of gated storage will provide more than 80% in reduction to the peak flow contributed by Stony Creek. Reductions to peak flows downstream on the South Branch Buffalo River are expected to be around 5%. 

Project Benefits       

Flood Control Goal:    

• 80%+ reduction in 10-yr & 100-yr spring flood discharges from contributing drainage area

Habitat Restoration:

• Reduced turbidity, enhanced fish habitat, stream restoration along Stony Creek and riparian buffer corridor.

Erosion Reduction:

• Reduction in riverbank erosion and bank sloughing; buffering (89 acres) along the stream restoration reach, reduction of overland flooding and reduction in turbidity and suspended solids thereby improving water quality. 

Project Cost: $15 Million    

Status: In Design Phase/Land Acquisition in 2019, Ready for Construction in 2020 

Funding Sources:
State DNR ($7.50M) / WD ($7.00M) / USDA ($0.50M)

Key: WD=Watershed District; DNR=Minnesota DNR HMGP

BRRWD Receives the Minnesota Environmental Initiative
2020 Rural Vitality Award for the Wolverton Creek Restoration

Read more about the MEI 2020 Awards

“Wolverton Creek Restoration is a strong example of a project that engaged a significant part of the community (450 landowners) and had a broad outcome (105 square miles within the watershed) – all within a culture and community where this has proven contentious or difficult in the past. We see this two-stage natural prairie stream replicable in other areas and regions and look forward to seeing how this effort can be exemplified and repeated.”

– Rural Vitality Category Evaluation Team

2019 Drone Ground Level View of the Wolverton Creek Restoration Channel 
2019 Drone Birds-eye View of the Wolverton Creek Restoration Channel 

The Buffalo-Red River Watershed District has developed a multi-phase comprehensive strategy to improve water quality and protect the valuable resource of Wolverton Creek in an extensively drained agricultural HUC-12 watershed. Wolverton Creek is a 23.5-mile long tributary to the Red River of the North with 8.2 miles of the Creek in Clay County and the remaining 15.3 miles in Wilkin County. The watershed is approximately 104 square miles and is located within Holy Cross and Alliance Townships of Clay County and Wolverton, Deerhorn, Roberts, and Mitchell Townships of Wilkin County. About two-thirds of Wolverton Creek is Public Water and the remaining upstream one-third is not considered Public Water. The section line between Sections 26 and 35, Wolverton Township, is the divide where Wolverton Creek becomes Public Water. There are several County Ditch Systems in the project area (Wilkin County Ditch Nos. 5A, 22, and 26; Clay County Ditch Nos. 36, 53, and 60; and Clay/Wilkin Judicial Ditch No. 1) as well as several natural waterways that flow into Wolverton Creek. Wolverton Creek is the outlet for these ditch systems and natural waterways.

Beginning over a century ago, streams in the Red River Basin have been straightened, ditched, cleared, and snagged with the goal of improving drainage and agricultural production. Wolverton Creek is one of the streams that has experienced these impacts. For some time now, the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District (BRRWD) has been looking at options to improve wildlife habitat, increase wildlife habitat connectivity, improve water quality, and to reduce flooding conditions in the Wolverton Creek drainage area. Landowners in the area requested that the Watershed District investigate the problems associated with Wolverton Creek and find solutions to correct these problems. The BRRWD along with the Clay and Wilkin SWCDs aim to reduce erosion and sedimentation in Wolverton Creek. A watershed-wide solution has been developed to correct the current issues being experienced along Wolverton Creek and its tributaries. The solution includes channel restoration, installation of side inlets and other sediment control BMPs within the Wolverton Creek Watershed, and installation of expanded buffer strips along Wolverton Creek. The outlet reach of Wolverton Creek downstream of Trunk Highway 75 was previously restored through the installation of a series of rock riffles, vegetative buffers, and sediment BMPs. Previous work also included installing vegetative buffers, erosion control, and sediment BMPs on all legal drainage systems draining into Wolverton Creek. 

Our current focus is on Phase 1 of the overall project (3 phases), which is located in the middle reach of the Wolverton Creek and is critical for completion of project features upstream.  The sediment reduction project is a three-pronged attack:  install sediment BMP controls, expand riparian buffers to significantly reduce sediment loading to Wolverton Creek and its tributaries, and restore Wolverton Creek to improve channel stability and reduce the in-stream sediment loading. The total estimated Phase 1 (Reach B) costs are $3,700,000.  The project was awarded $2.8 million from the Targeted Watershed Program fund, $1.877 million from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council Fund, and $100,000 from the Enbridge Eco-Footprint Grant Program.  The required local match (25% of grant funds) is $700,000. 

Project Partners:

• Buffalo-Red River Watershed District
• Wilkin Soil and Water Conservation District
• Clay Soil and Water Conservation District
• Natural Resource Conservation Office
• Landowners

Wolverton Creek Easement Acquisition Process

Engineer’s Design Report

BWSR Advisory Comments For Engineer’s Report

Proposed Water Management District Charge Determination

Wolverton Creek Sediment Reduction Fact Sheet

Wolverton Creek Sediment Reduction Project Schedule

Wolverton Creek Sediment Reduction Work Plan 06/27/16

Read more about the Clean Water Stories on the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Website.

Landowners filed a petition with the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District (BRRWD) for the improvement of a portion of Clay-Wilkin Judicial Ditch No. 1 (JD-1) on June 1, 2018, in accordance with Minnesota Statutes Annotated (M.S.A.)103E.221. The proposed JD-1 Improvement is located along the east-west quarter line of Sections 25, 26, and 27, T137N, R48W (Holy Cross Township), and Section 30, T137N, R47W (Alliance Township), Clay County, utilizing Wolverton Creek (also known as Comstock Coulee) as its outlet.  The proposed project is a result of recurring flooding experienced by landowners along JD-1, especially those landowners with land adjacent and north of the Clay-Wilkin county line along the proposed improvement alignment.  The BRRWD designated this project as Project No. 78 and ordered Houston Engineering, Inc. (HEI) to prepare the Engineer’s Preliminary Survey Report in accordance with Minnesota Statutes 103E.241, Subd. 1.  The improvement was investigated in order to study its potential effects on flood damage reduction. HEI submitted the Report to the Board of Managers, BRRWD, on July 23, 2018, and is available below:

Project No. 78, Clay/Wilkin J.D. No. 1 Improvement-Preliminary Engineer’s Report

In 2015, a number of agency and resource personnel met to discuss the LOTR and possible ways to improve the river. In the 1950s, portions of the LOTR in Wilkin County were straightened by the Army Corps of Engineers.  This greatly reduced the length of the river and steepened the slope, resulting in reduced habitat diversity and quality, and contributed to impaired water quality.  A future project’s potential benefits could include improved water quality, increased flood capacity, wildlife corridor and high quality habitat, better fish habitat, and increased recreational opportunities.  A total maximum daily load (TMDL) study was completed for the LOTR in 2006.  At that time, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that the annual sediment load was 40,400 tons at the gauging site in Breckenridge.  Two primary sediment sources were identified, including the adjacent fields, ditches, and streams and from streambank erosion.

Since the group first met, the Buffalo-Red River Watershed District (BRRWD) has applied for a Federal Section 319 EPA grant through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). That grant was approved in the amount of $242,000.  The 319 work plan includes several objectives, including civic engagement and outreach; channel restoration survey to establish the existing channel conditions; channel restoration and sediment reduction engineering design; and grant administration/reporting.  Last fall, the Wilkin Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) obtained a grant through the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) in the amount of $203,013 to be used as a match for the EPA funding.  Also, the BRRWD has applied for a Section 1135 feasibility investigation through the Army Corps of Engineers, which was recently approved to provide the means for the St. Paul District of the Army Corps of Engineers to undertake an investigation of potential fish and wildlife habitat restoration measures at full Federal expense up to $100,000.  02/11/16.

Lower Otter Tail River Vision Statement

Meeting Minutes

• 7/10/18 Informational Meeting
• 2/25/16 Informational Meeting

FACT SHEET 

Oakport Hunting Authorization

Oakport Hunting Map

 
The spring flood of 1997 was devastating for the entire Red River Basin. In the Oakport area, over 150 homes were damaged, and over 200 homes isolated from public safety and services. Similar events in 1969, 2000, and 2001 prompted the Oakport residents to seek permanent flood control. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was asked to do a 205 Feasibility Study. In 2001, the USACE reported that a project would not meet their criteria. In November 2002, the Township asked the BRRWD to develop a project in accordance with Watershed Law. The BRRWD accepted the task, and construction of the $36 million project started in 2008. The project was not finished during the 2009 spring flood, so emergency measures were implemented, as necessary. The seven phases of the project were completed in 2016. The two individual levee systems, totaling approximately five miles in length, will be certified by FEMA.

Oakport Project Costs/Revenue

Background

On November 4, 2008, Minnesota voters approved the Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment to the constitution to:

• protect drinking water sources;
• protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat;
• preserve arts and cultural heritage;
• support parks and trails;
• and protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.
  

The Amendment increases the sales and use tax rate by three-eighths of one percent on taxable sales, starting July 1, 2009, continuing through 2034. Those dollars are dedicated to four funds: Outdoor Heritage Fund, Clean Water Fund, Parks and Trails Fund, and Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

BWSR has received appropriations from the Outdoor Heritage Fund and the Clean Water Fund.

Wolverton Creek Restoration-Phase 1-2016

• Wolverton Creek Sediment Reduction Fact Sheet
• Wolverton Creek Sediment Reduction Project Schedule
• Wolverton Creek Sediment Reduction Work Plan 06/27/16
  

2013 Clean Water Fund Grant Projects
Targeted Drainage Water Management

• Grant Workplan
• Latest Report (Feb. 2015)

Conservation Drainage Management
Water Quality Improvement for Clay C.D. Nos. 9, 32, 33

• Clean Water Fund Project Story
• Grant Workplan
• Final Report (Dec.2014)

Clean Water Assistance
Upper South Branch Strategic BMP Implementation – Part 2

• Clean Water Fund Project Story
• Grant Workplan
• Latest Report (Feb. 2015)

2012 Clean Water Fund Grant Projects
Accelerated Implementation Buffalo-Red River Watershed District BMP Strategic Plan

• Clean Water Fund Project Story
• Grant Workplan
• Final Report (Dec. 2014)

2011 Clean Water Fund Grant Projects

Runoff Reduction: Upper South Branch Strategic BMP Implementation Plan
Project Partners: West Otter Tail SWCD, Wilkin SWCD

• Clean Water Fund Project Story – BWSR
• BWSR Featured Project December 2011-January 2012
• Grant Workplan
• Latest Report (Feb. 2015)
• BMP Implementation Plan, October 2011

Continuation of Hay Creek/Stinking Lake Sediment Reduction
Project Partners: Becker SWCD (Fiscal / Reporting Agent)

• Clean Water Fund Project Story – BWSR
• BWSR Featured Project

Wolverton Creek Restoration and Sediment Reduction Project
Project Partners: Clay SWCD, Wilkin SWCD, MN DNR

• Clean Water Fund Project Story – BWSR
• Grant Workplan
• Latest Report (Feb. 2015)
• Wilkin County Channel Restoration Pilot Project Report, June 2011
• Floodplain Mapping Study Report, January 2012