Protecting the Minnesota River

The Friends of the Minnesota Valley are dedicated to protecting and improving the precious natural resources in the Minnesota River Watershed.

 

The main challenge facing the Minnesota River and its major tributaries is the wide fluctuations in peak water flows, exacerbated by increasingly frequent heavy rain events. Increased peak flows lead to greater bank erosion, and consequently reduced water quality due to higher levels of sediment and nutrients.

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The focus of the Agricultural Drainage Initiative is to reduce peak water flows across the basin. By monitoring proposed agricultural drainage improvements that have the potential to increase water flow, the ADI can intervene to advocate for downstream stakeholders, and suggest alternatives for drainage, and water storage. In many cases the intervention has taken the form of seeking that an official Environment Review be completed to assess the full effects of the project.