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® pity ®i s el® e~lieine iffier stars e isrict lean star a ers i r®ra by c~~y PorZ The Yellow Medicine River Watershed, as part of the education element of the located in Minneota, Minnesota, is in it's third year of a Clean Water Part- nership program, through a grant awarded by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. This project is called the GYMR Phase I Clean Water Partnership. (CWP) The Watershed District has been working on a diagnostic study of various sites on the Yellow Medicine River and it's tributaries, as well as various drainage ditches within the watershed district. Water quality and quantity are the theme of this investigation. At each site, automated monitoring equipment has been set up, operating from April to November for the past three years. The equipment is computer pro- grammed to gather daily data and storm event data. Biweekly samples are taken manually and sent to a lab for testing and data analysis. Records are kept, and charts and graphs are developed to show the sites reading high in phosphorus, nitrates, total suspended solids, and other nutrients and /or pollutants. Excessive nutrients can be harmful to water quality. The board has received an extension through the Minnesota Pollution. Control Agency for one year, t_o continue the diagnostic study for one more spring-fall season. The Yellow Medicine River Watershed staff has been working with Minneota High School students from 7th 8th, 9th and 10th grade for the past two years programs. We have set up a monitoring site at Riverside Park, where we meet with the students once a week. Their teachers, Janet Bcerner and Michealla Schelhaas bring them down to the site during their class times throughout the day. The students get hands on experi- ence in using our equipment, and in learning what the goals are for our GYMR program. They take back samples to test on the Haach test kits provided by the Yellow Medicine River Watershed (YMRW) District. They have very accurate results. The staff of the YMRW also sends regular and storm event samples to our lab; the school data is incorporated into our lab results. The YMRW District Watershed Board plans to make application in November 2000 for our Phase II Implementation Plans. Public meetings are being scheduled in order to meet with land- owners and townships in each of the three counties of which YMRW District serves portions. Landowners and township officials will be asked for their input as to ideas for priorities, concerning potential projects. Possibilities include wetland restoration, feedlot impro~ ;ment assistance for feedlot operators needing improvements, river bank restoration, Coordination with CREP and CRP programs, 638 Structural projects, small dam or road retention projects, other flood prevention measures, and other projects as may be suggested by the public. The Yellow Medicine River Watershed District is begmning various improve- ments in the office to keep the commu- nication lines open between the office and the public. An administrator and office manager have been hired to extend office hours to 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. A Geographic Information System is being developed, with employees working with and taking GIS classes from SSU in Marshall. Forty layers of mapping themes have been developed and are being used at this time. These layers include: eleva- tions, municipalities, townships, parceling, river, lake and dam site locations and data, etc. For additional information visit www.rnnwatershed.org, email ymrw@starpoint.nat, phone number 507-872-6720, Fax 507-872-6721. hosted by ~Il ®V~'I° ~~~I°S 1S ® 9 Detroit Lakes, MN