The 2026 budget request to Anoka County includes adding a Groundwater Specialist to ACD's staff. This is the third consecutive year that this need has emerged as a top priority. Anoka County has never had a professional dedicated solely to managing our groundwater. Given our situation, it's time to shift our priorities. What situation?  

• 94% of us in Anoka County rely on groundwater for drinking and other needs
• We have more private wells than any other county in MN (53,000)
• We have more Superfunds sites than any other county in MN (9)
• We sit on the Anoka Sandplain, making our drinking water highly vulnerable to contamination
• Our shallow groundwater recharges aquifers relied on throughout the Metro Area. 

If only we had a Groundwater Specialist at ACD, we could:

• Develop a groundwater management plan and secure state approval,
• Secure $150K-$350K/year in state funds available to those with approved groundwater plans,
• Use advanced technology for high-resolution groundwater modeling,
• Analyze neglected datasets for hotspots and trends in groundwater degradation,
• Engage MPCA, MNDNR, and MDH to enhance the service Anoka County constituents receive,
• Coordinate regional planning, wellhead protection, and contamination response,
• Implement sentinel well monitoring,
• Manage cost-share programs for projects like septic upgrades, well sealing, and agricultural irrigation technology upgrades,
• Inform civic leaders, public employees and the public at large on groundwater, and
• Serve as the trusted expert on groundwater issues.

If groundwater is a mystery to you, please watch the short videos linked below, which were made locally and are often referenced nationally. 

Groundwater - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxENTkMmyEE

Groundwater Contamination - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRSHJpe8pq8&t=12s 

ACD is seeking a group, company, or individual to provide $1,000 per year in support for the St. Francis High School biomonitoring program. Our past sponsor has had to withdraw due to financial constraints. Each year, we take high school biology classes to the Rum River to catch and count macroinvertebrates (bugs, crustaceans, etc.) that live there. Because some of these critters require high-quality conditions, we can use them to calculate metrics of river health. It's hands-on education led by professionals, with implications beyond the classroom. This program has been going since 2001. 1,950 students (average 81/yr) have donned waders, grabbed a net, and learned about the Rum River.

Financial assistance is used to help cover the costs of waders, nets, and other necessary equipment. It also ensures that our natural resource professionals can provide instruction and help students discover what their data means. Any group willing to provide financial assistance can please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Where the Money Goes

ACD finances vary annually due to the ebb and flow of competitive grants. 2024 included several large project installations, funded primarily with state grants. Many state grants are from sales tax dedicated to natural resource activities. ACD is committed to accessing these funds to benefit Anoka County taxpayers in proportion to the sales tax paid in the county. ACD strives to keep overhead costs down while expanding services. 

Making Sense of the Dollars
Although governed by an elected board, conservation districts do not have taxing authority and must secure funds from many sources. State funds increased in 2024 due to several large project installations. Product sales also exceeded $1M for the first time in 2024. County funds are critical for general operations because many grants do not cover overhead expenses.

Making Dollars of the Cents
ACD collaborates with cities, watershed management entities, state agencies, county departments, non-profits, and landowners on projects of mutual interest. On average, for every locally derived dollar, ACD leverages over four dollars from outside the county.

Online dashboards are an increasingly popular way to display summary information about otherwise complex data sets. Beginning in 2022, ACD started using dashboards to highlight annual and cumulative progress on ecological and water quality oriented projects. The most recent addition to ACD dashboards is one that shows ACD financials going back to 2010. "While it took a bit of time to format financial data to work with the dashboard interface, I think it was well worth it" Anoka Conservation District Manager Chris Lord said. "We beta tested it with several of our state legislators during virtual meetings and they responded very positively." The data extend back to 2010 specifically to capture all of the funds ACD has received from the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Constitutional Amendment.  

The next dashboard in the lineup will show ACD progress toward 10-Year Natural Resource Stewardship Plan goals. For more information contact Chris Lord,  763.434.2030 x130, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Each year since 2016, soil and water conservation districts across the state, including ACD, have receiving a special allocation from the Clean Water Fund of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to build statewide capacity to provide conservation related programs and services. Each district utilizes these funds differently to meet the needs of their constituents and natural resources. Following is a snapshot of how ACD relies on these funds.

The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is recommending $440,000 in funding to ACD from the Clean Water Fund[1] competitive grant fund for stabilizing eroding Rum Riverbanks. This funding will be used in conjunction with funds already received from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council[2] ($816,000 to ACD) and the DNR Conservation Partners Legacy[3] grant ($185,000 to Anoka County Parks) for Rum Riverbank stabilization and habitat enhancement projects. These three funding sources will cover projects of all sizes, from small banks only needing cedar tree revetments to large failing banks requiring sophisticated engineering and reconstruction. The funds from the Clean Water Fund grant will be prioritized for the latter.

With additional matching funds from Anoka County, the Upper and Lower Rum River WMOs, ACD and landowners, over $1.5M-worth of streambank projects will be installed over the next three years to help the Rum River. The Rum River is a highly prized resource in Anoka County, but it is on the brink of impairment for phosphorus concentrations, and it has extensive bank erosion. The sediment washing into the river from these eroding banks dirties the water, increases nutrients, and smothers habitat for aquatic wildlife. ACD performed a streambank erosion analysis[4] from 2017 to 2019 that led to this concerted effort by ACD and Anoka County to secure state grant funding and local matching funds to make a big push to help the River. 

ACD received funding from BWSR to continue the Anoka Cooperative Weed Management Area program and received two sources of MDA funding for Anoka County invasive species control and for Metro-wide non-native Phragmites treatment.

The Anoka Cooperative Weed Management Area Program currently consists of 27 Partners who have identified priority invasive species of concern, locations and activities in Anoka County. ACD received the maximum funding of $15,000 to be utilized in three years. Renewal/BWSR Request for Proposals are offered every two years. Current BWSR funds will support:

• mapping and monitoring priority invasive species on EDDMaps,
• surveys in select high quality habitats,
• implementation of biocontrol release,
• monitoring past treatment,
• training a new partner, Anoka County Highway staff on invasive species identification and treatment, including wild parsnip sites identified on Anoka Highway ROW,
• organizing and creating outreach material and expanding the ACWMA website to provide a central location for ACWMA resources,
• provide outreach and engagement with City Staff, residents, and volunteers,
• and, provide technical and financial resources for invasive species cost share program for priority invasive species and priority locations.

ACD received the maximum funding from MDA Level 1, $10,000, to be spent in 2020. These funds will increase the capacity of the ACWMA efforts and specifically support:

• Invasive species trainings and volunteer engagement in invasive species control in Anoka County, including a training to Anoka County Master Gardeners in April 2020.
• Mapping and monitoring priority invasive species and surveys in high quality habitats.
• Release knapweed root weevil (Cyphocleonus achates) and knapweed flower weevils (Larinus minutus obtusus) biocontrol at two sites.
• Provide training to Anoka County Highway to identify and control priority invasive species, starting with wild parsnip by June 2020.
• Treat all known populations of wild parsnip in Anoka County by July 2020.
• Follow up treatment of golden creeper with digging out roots and June 2020 and herbicide application of any remaining plants by September 2020.
• Conduct a land management and invasive speices workshop to City of Blaine residents in September 2020. By mid-November 2020, provide technical and financial support for buckthorn treatment to landowners adjacent to the Blaine Wetland Sancturary, treating 12 acres of buckthorn. I'm collaborating with Rebecca Haug/City of Blaine, Beth Carreno/RCWD and Metro Blooms.

ACD received $49,705 from MDA Level 2 to be spent over two years to map, treat, and monitor non-native Phragmites in the Metro. Metro County Partners will continue mapping and will obtain permission from landowners to treat with herbicide and mowing. ACD will coordinate monitoring following MN DNR protocols, will hire a contractor for treatment, and lead native planting/restoration at Sunrise Lake which was previously treated.