In 1977 Minnesota was stricken by drought conditions that nearly rivaled the infamous drought of the 1930s. That prompted the Legislature to seek ways to better manage the state's water supplies, which led to the enactment of the Comprehensive Local Water Management Act in 1985.
Technical Service Areas (TSAs)
- History
In 1994, eleven joint powers boards (JPBs) of SWCDs were established in conjunction with establishment of the Agricultural Best Management Practices Loan Program and Clean Water Partnership Loan Program, which utilize funding from the State Revolving Fund. Accelerated technical assistance was identified as a critical need for program implementation. The Legislature appropriated money from the state's General Fund to BWSR to create what became the Non-Point Engineering Assistance Program (NPEAP).
Geospatial Resources
Below are statewide and program-specific geospatial resources related to RIM programs. This list includes shapefiles needed in order to submit RIM applications and complete scoresheets for each program.
RIM Interactive Map
The RIM Interactive Map displays existing easement boundaries and lists eligible RIM programs for locations after they are manually selected. There is a search by address and township/section/range feature within the map tool. A static PDF map of RIM easements may be found here (Updated June 2025).
Reporting Profile: Clean Water Legacy Partners
Grant Description
CWP Amendments and Extensions
This guidance contains the requirements and procedures for amending and/or extending a County Comprehensive Local Water Plan (County Water Plan).
Amendments alter a plan by modification, deletion, or addition using the process described in statute. Extensions lengthen the plan end date. Each option is described in detail below.
County Water Plan Updates
A county water plan update is a entire revision of the current plan. The process is outlined in the following steps.
Development and Revision
Watershed districts must develop and revise their watershed management plans. The following information describes the process for developing and revising watershed plans (plans).