|
WRC awarded 319 funding to create standardized
<br />training for watershed professionals
<br />Ann Lewandowski, WRC research associ-
<br />ate, and Faye Sleeper, WRC co-director,
<br />were awarded MPCA Funding through
<br />Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 319 to
<br />coordinate the development of standard-
<br />ized training for local professionals who
<br />lead watershed and total maximum daily
<br />load projects. Fellow University research-
<br />ers Bruce Wilson, Bioproducts and
<br />Biosystems Engineering, and Ken Brooks,
<br />Forest Resources, complete the team that
<br />will design and implement the training
<br />program. The team will work with an
<br />advisory group composed of representatives
<br />from local governments such as watershed
<br />districts and soil
<br />and water conser-
<br />vation districts, as
<br />well as state agency ~ .r '
<br />x
<br />representatives.
<br />advisory committee. Other universities
<br />find that web-based training is accessed
<br />not only by professionals but others
<br />with interest in ~+~atershed processes
<br />such as teachers, lake home owners, and
<br />students.
<br />Some watershed planners are concerned
<br />that a new certification program will
<br />create additional costs and requirements.
<br />The certification will not be mandatory,
<br />but will give people the opportunity to
<br />learn the basics in a standardized format,
<br />and give employers the assurance that
<br />their staff members know the require-
<br />ments as well as The resources available to
<br />The goal of the
<br />project is to ensure ~.
<br />that those involved
<br />in watershed and
<br />,_
<br />_,
<br />_
<br />. .
<br /> _
<br />impaired waters
<br />.........wrrrl~P~..~- , j
<br />..
<br />
<br />planning and
<br />- "
<br />"" .
<br />implementation `~ ~~ '~
<br />
<br />projects understand fi ~r` r, :"~C.`,
<br />~ i r~ {.t .,
<br />~ 7 ~r 4x i El'''i: -~ N
<br />
<br />legal frameworks,
<br />,~ 7"""4
<br />~`+~.
<br />'
<br />"e ;~ c
<br />Y Y t 2
<br />~'aa~~
<br />''1
<br />programmatic ~,
<br />~,
<br />a~-,. ~
<br />~
<br />c
<br />requirements, and -^
<br />watershed science
<br />}~q ~ a~ a s '` ~' ~
<br />~ ~
<br />resources and tools. ~~
<br />
<br />~ t ~ ~ ~e~
<br />
<br />`~
<br />~
<br />`~
<br />~ °
<br />0
<br />~1,}
<br />` ~ :
<br />`
<br />•'
<br />~`
<br />I
<br />Several factors point ~ ~
<br />,
<br />~
<br />~. a ,e'_
<br />,
<br />.
<br />n
<br />Y
<br />:
<br />~
<br />to the yvisdom of UM-led standardized training will beneft watershed professionals and TMDL
<br />more standardized projects.
<br />basic training: local
<br />experts are retiring as the baby-boom gen-
<br />eration ages; new clean water funds require
<br />additional staffing of statewide projects;
<br />and projects using federal, state, and local
<br />funds must demonstrate clear results.
<br />The curriculum will likely consist of tv<~o
<br />levels of training. Level one will cover the
<br />basics of watershed management, such as
<br />hydrology, restoration techniques, and
<br />legal and organizational tools, and will be
<br />taught in an interactive web format. Level
<br />two will add afour-to-five-day hands-on
<br />and classroom component. Colleagues at
<br />Michigan State, Purdue, and The Ohio
<br />State Universit}~ have committed to sharing
<br />experience from their watershed training
<br />programs, including electronic delivery.
<br />Plans will be vetted and refined by the
<br />them. "With local government's expand-
<br />ing role in v,~ater resources management,
<br />having well-trained staff is imperative,"
<br />said Ray Bohn, coordinator for the Min-
<br />nesota Association of Watershed Dis-
<br />tricts. In the pilot phases of the program,
<br />the training may be subsidized while
<br />feedback is collected from the trainees
<br />to improve the program. AFter the pilot
<br />phase is complete, there will be a fee to
<br />take the course.
<br />The project has received partial funding
<br />through the CWA 319 nonpoint source
<br />program, and will begin later this fall.
<br />The hope is to move into a pilot phase in
<br />18 months.
<br />~~ ~1 - --
<br />/.~~ ~
<br />~ /~~~0}G~~~G~~
<br />- i~
<br />New interagency leadership
<br />team coordinates Clean
<br />Water Fund distribution
<br />In spite of the legislative summer recess,
<br />the Water Resources Center (WRC),
<br />state agencies, and legislative commit-
<br />teeshave been hard at work imple-
<br />menting the Clean Water Fund (CWF)
<br />appropriations bill. The three-eighths of
<br />one-percent sales tax went into effect on
<br />July 1, and approximately $151,000 worth
<br />of projects and programs are now in play.
<br />The funds are distributed across multiple
<br />agencies, programs, and projects, many
<br />with shared responsibilities. This has
<br />necessitated a coordinated agency
<br />management structure, and the agencies
<br />have created the Clean Water Fund Inter-
<br />agency Leadership Team to integrate and
<br />coordinate projects across all agencies
<br />receiving CWF appropriations. These
<br />include the Minnesota Pollution Control
<br />Agency (MPCA), the Department of Natu-
<br />ral Resources (DNR), the Department
<br />of Agriculture (MDA), the Department
<br />of Health (MDH), the Public Facilities
<br />Authority (PFA), the Board of Water and
<br />Soil Resources (BWSR), the Metropolitan
<br />Council, and the University of Minne-
<br />sota WRC. Senior leadership from all
<br />agencies participates intwice-monthly
<br />meetings to map out how programs will
<br />be coordinated, how success will be mea-
<br />sured, and how progress will be reported.
<br />For example, BWSR is leading the effort
<br />to distribute the grant funds allocated to
<br />fund protection and restoration projects
<br />at local and regional levels. The Request
<br />for Proposals will be out in early October.
<br />The MPCA is leading the way with an
<br />interagency committee to establish
<br />measures that can be used to track how
<br />well goals are being met. The MPCA is
<br />also establishing a "data portal" that will
<br />provide access to all State environmental
<br />data. The PFA has already prioritized and
<br />awarded its funds for upgrading water
<br />infrastructure around the state.
<br />The CWF Interagency Leadership Team
<br />is a model of state agency collabora-
<br />tion on multijurisdictional issues and
<br />responsibilities, and is a great first step in
<br />implementing the CWF.
<br />---_- -- - ---~__-~ September 2009
<br />- - - ___ _-
<br />
|