Yahara River Watershed RCPP Kyle Minks Conservation Nutrient Specialist Dane County Land and Water Resources Department

Yahara River Watershed RCPP Title: Reducing Total Phosphorus and Sediment Loads in the Yahara Watershed Through Wisconsin’s Adaptive Management Option Primary Resource Concern - Excessive sediments and nutrients in surface waters Funding Pool Critical Conservation Area Mississippi River Basin

Partnerships Dane Count Land and Water Resources Department Madison Metropolitan Sewage District Yahara Watershed Improvement Network (WIN’s) Clean Lakes Alliance Sand County Foundation UW-Madison Natural Resources Conservation Service

Location Yahara River & Badfish Creek Watersheds 300,000 acres 60% Agriculture 540 miles of streams a rivers 4 lakes Rock River TMDL – Lower Rock Basin

Objectives Continued implementation of NRCS conservation practices 14 practices – grassed waterways, manure storage, terraces etc… Test four innovative practices Harvestable buffers Legacy sediment removal Regional manure storage Yet to be determined (VMI, continuous no-till, etc…)

Objectives Comprehensive water quality monitoring 5 USGS gaging stations 12 MMSD sites 22 citizen monitoring sites

Objectives Quantification of phosphorus reductions SNAP Plus BARNY P8 SWAT TIN SWAT Soil Loss x Phosphorus Concentration

Objectives EPA 9-step watershed plan Outreach and education Ag Innovation Days Farm Tours Conservation Conference

Strategy 2013 SWAT Report Allocate resources based on priority Identify priority areas Allocate resources based on priority Work with producers to address resources concerns Quantify load reductions from practice implementation Evaluate water quality data

Questions