Water Management Planning

Identifying & Assessing Priority Water Resource Concerns

The purpose of the Blue Earth County Water Management Plan is to identify and assess priority water resource concerns, develop goals and objectives to address priority concerns, and guide the local selection of priority areas for project planning and implementation.
RiverPicture.png

Priority Concerns

The Blue Earth County Water Management Plan is prepared by the County cooperatively with the SWCD with input from citizens and local units of government in the county. Written surveys, a public meeting and workshops were used to identify the priority concerns for Blue Earth County. The three main priority concerns are:
  • Protect drinking water supplies and groundwater quality and quantity.
  • Protect and restore the quality and manage the quantity of surface water.
  • Protect and manage wetlands for multiple benefits

State Grant Programs

Since 1987 Minnesota Statutes have encouraged counties in Minnesota to prepare water management plans. (Minnesota Statutes sections 103B.301 to 103B.355). While the plans are voluntary, state grant programs require counties to have an adopted local water management plan that is updated periodically.