The Minnesota River is one of the 20 most endangered waterways in America. A report by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) entitled Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP) documented frequent violations of federal or state standards for bacteria, phosphorus, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen at several monitoring stations along the Minnesota River or its tributaries. MRAP suggested several possible sources for these pollutants, including feedlots, septic systems, wastewater treatment plants, stream and ditch erosion, and runoff or erosion from agricultural lands. MRAP presented both an agency and a citizens advisory group plan for implementation of practices to control pollution in the Minnesota River basin.
There is a sense of urgency for reductions in non-point source (NPS) pollutant loading to the Minnesota River, with particular emphasis on the role of producers and the agricultural community. The MRAP report did not provide detailed information about the soil, landscape, and climatic factors that influence sources of non-point source pollution, crop or animal management practices, or the feasibility for adoption of various non-point source reduction practices. To address this need, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) contracted with the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota to develop a systematic, comprehensive, and scientific approach for addressing agricultural profitability and non-point source pollution reduction in the Minnesota River basin.
The MDA project had five major objectives. (1) The first was to develop a framework for describing and inventorying characteristics of the basin that affect non-point source pollution, agricultural management practices and their potential for reducing non-point source pollution. (2) The second was to develop an inventory for research on the risk associated with adopting crop management practices that can reduce non-point source pollution. (3) The third was to identify knowledge gaps and research needs for non-point source pollution in the Minnesota River basin. (4) The fourth was to develop an educational outreach program for disseminating information about the Minnesota River basin and to accelerate the adoption of farming practices to reduce agricultural NPS pollution. (5) The fifth was to describe and evaluate the performance of various simulation models used for estimating the impact of farm management practices on NPS pollution in the Minnesota River basin.