Do you have some corners of your property that are hard to mow or just need a little spruce up? ACD staff recently replaced turf with native plants alongside our parking lot. This area of the yard is steeply sloped and difficult to mow. The 300 sq ft area is now home to nearly a dozen species that will benefit pollinators. In recent years we converted the area around some clumped oak trees into a shrub garden. Those shrubs have matured nicely and required no care. In another area, we simply stopped mowing. The resulting grass is still short (<6") and falls over on itself. The area is easy to walk across, and cuts down on our maintenance. 

New stormwater treatment is in place to benefit the Rum River, thanks to a collaborative effort by the City of St. Francis, ACD, and Upper Rum River Watershed Management Organization (URRWMO). While St. Francis has a strong network of stormwater ponds and other practices, certain areas of the city were built before stormwater treatment became the norm. We are "retrofitting" stormwater treatment into these older neighborhoods. 

The most recent project is a rain garden installed on a city owned out-lot. Stormwater in this residential neighborhood drains directly to the Rum River. The new rain garden has a curbside inlet, allowing water into a basin that filters and infiltrates stormwater. The garden will hold water for no more than 48 hours. It will remove 44% of solids (111lbs/yr) and 46% (0.6 lbs/yr) of phosphorus from a two acre drainage area. The rain garden is planted with native shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers. We are hopeful this project results in other landowners wishing to have a rain garden on their property.

We secure lots of grants at ACD. They are a mainstay of our funding; we do not levy taxes. For our water quality projects, grants are changing significantly with a recent program called Watershed Based Implementation Funding (WBIF). These recurring grants are providing the foundation for sustained, cohesive programs rather than a start-and-stop approach.

Historically, grants were competitive. And many still are. We complete a lengthy application process and our proposals are scored against others. The grant lasts a few years and is done. This continues to work well for many of our largest, stand-alone projects. In fact, ACD has applied for a half dozen of them in just the last few months. 

Calling all city council members, county commissioners, planning commissions, watershed supervisors, board of adjustment members, and other community leaders! Join us for a FREE evening workshop on practical approaches to building resilient communities and protecting water resources in the Lower St. Croix Watershed.

Learn about:

• Tools available to help guide where and how development happens
• Strategies for preserving rural and agricultural areas
• Approaches to protect lakes and shorelines
• Cost-effective strategies to reduce stormwater pollution

Register at https://tinyurl.com/stcroixwowland.