Snapshots are stories published monthly by BWSR to highlight the work of our agency and partners. They provide insights on how these partnerships impact our state's soil and water resources. Browse past stories below, or read the current edition here.
In 1982, the Minnesota Legislature approved the Metropolitan Area Surface Water Management Act which requires local units of government in the seven-county Metro Area to prepare and implement watershed management plans through membership in a Watershed Management Organization (WMO).
All transactions in the Minnesota wetland bank administered by BWSR must be accompanied by the appropriate transaction form with all required signatures and associated fees. All transactions must be associated with wetland regulatory compliance per state and/or federal programs. Transactions are final when BWSR executes them in the wetland banking database and sends a verification letter to all involved parties.
This page provides a comparison of governance structures for watershed authorities in Minnesota.
Watershed districts (WD) are established by petition (Minnesota Statutes §103D.201-225) and may occur within or outside of the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area.
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.
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.
A county water plan update is a entire revision of the current plan. The process is outlined in the following steps.
Watershed districts must develop and revise their watershed management plans. The following information describes the process for developing and revising watershed plans (plans).
In 1955, the Minnesota Legislature authorized the creation of watersheds through the Watershed Act. The intent of the Act was to develop water management policies and plans on a watershed basis, because water does not follow political boundaries.
The regulatory provisions of Minnesota's Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) are primarily administered by local government units (LGUs) with oversight by the Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR). State agencies administer WCA on state-owned or controlled lands.