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Buffers
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Minnesota Buffer Law

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Building Better Buffers

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Where Can I Get Support?

What Are Alternative Practices?

Where Can I Find Buffer Maps?
Resources for Local Governments

Minnesota Buffer Law

Election of Jurisdiction

Implementation Guidance

Haying and Grazing of Buffers

Conservation Reserve Program Exemption Guidance

Buffer Measurement for a Public Drainage Ditch

Compliance Determinations

Average Buffer Widths

Determining the Top or Crown of a Bank for Land Adjacent to a Public Water

Vegetation Establishment Goals

What to Plant in Buffers

Determining Normal Water Level

Buffer Program Update

Buffer Establishment & Management Toolbox

Alternative Practices

Alternative Practices Introduction

Common Alternative Practice #1: Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program

Common Alternative Practice #2: NRCS Filter Strip Standard: MN 393/391 Practice Standards - Public Waters

Common Alternative Practice #3: Grassed Waterway/Cultivated Watercourses - Public Waters

Common Alternative Practice #4A: Negative Slopes or Concentrated Inflow - Public Ditches

Common Alternative Practice #4B: Glacial Lake Plain Areas - Public Ditches

Common Alternative Practice #5: Negative Slopes or Concentrated Inflow - Public Waters

Common Alternative Practice #6: Conservation Tillage/Cover Crops With Vegetated Filter Strip - Public Waters

Decision Support Tool

Procedures

Procedure 1: Compliance Determinations (Parcel and Bank Approach)

Procedure 2: Reporting and Progress Tracking

Procedure 3: MS4 Exemption

Procedure 4: Alternative Practices

Procedure 5: Other Alternative Practices Approved by the Board

Procedure 6: Local Water Resources Riparian Protection ("Other Watercourses")

Procedure 7: Failure to Implement

Procedure 8: Election of Jurisdiction

Procedure 9: BWSR's Review of County and Watershed District Buffer Rules, Ordinances and Official Controls

Enforcement

Compliance Tracking Tool (BuffCAT)

Guide to the Buffer Compliance Process

Step 1: SWCD Compliance Review

Step 2: Landowner Notification

Step 3: Notice of Non-Compliance

Step 4: Corrective Action Notice Sent

Step 5: Issuing Enforcement Action

Step 6: Parcel is Compliant

Contacts
Wetlands
Wetland Regulatory Programs

Wetlands Regulation in Minnesota

WCA Program Reports
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Joint Application Form

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Mitigation & Banking

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Wetland Bank Transaction Forms

Wetland Bank Guidance & Information

Local Government Road Wetland Replacement Program

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In-Lieu Fee Mitigation Program

Agricultural Wetland Bank
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Delineation Manuals

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Hydrology & Antecedent Precipitation

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MN WETLAND PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Minnesota Wetland Professional Certification Program

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MWPCP Class Portal

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SPECIAL PROJECTS

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Wisconsin - Minnesota Wetland Functional Assessment Initiative

404 Assumption

Minnesota Stream Quantification Tool and Debit Calculator

Waters of the U.S.
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RIM Handbook & Guidance

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Grassland Management: Haying and Grazing

Tax Forfeit Lands Enrolled Into an Easement

RIM Reserve Outside Funding Request Easement Policy

Easement Alteration Policy

Master Joint Powers Agreement (MJPA) and Work Orders

Forest Management

Drainage System Maintenance Policy

Farm Bill Assistance Partnership

Habitat Establishment & Management Resources

Cover Crops for Wildlife

Seedbed Preparation from Cropland

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Interseeding Native Grasses and Forbs into an Existing Native Grass Stand

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Pollinator Habitat Guide

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BWSR Climate Resiliency Toolbox

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FY25 Conservation Reserve Program State Incentives Grant Program

BWSR Ecology Update

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MN Wetland Restoration Guide

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Native Vegetation Establishment and Enhancement Guidelines

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Understanding Minnesota Public Drainage Law

Minnesota Public Drainage Manual

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Chapter 103E Ditch Buffer Strip Reporting

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TRAINING

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Watershed-Based Implementation Funding Grant Profile

Watershed-based Implementation Funding Program

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Performance Review and Assistance Program (PRAP) Grant Profile

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Wellhead Protection Partner Grants Program Pilot Grant Profile

Living Landscapes Programs

Conservation Reserve Program State Incentive Grant Program (Pilot) Grant Profile

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CRP State Incentives Program Grant Profile

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Grant Program Policies

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eLINK Reporting At a Glance

Crow Wing

Big Trout: 'A resource worth saving'

Read more about Big Trout: 'A resource worth saving'

Crow Wing County leverages funds to cap unsealed wells

Read more about Crow Wing County leverages funds to cap unsealed wells

Protecting Mississippi headwaters habitat

Read more about Protecting Mississippi headwaters habitat

Saving forest cover, saving lakes

Read more about Saving forest cover, saving lakes

Pine River 1W1P builds on past success

Read more about Pine River 1W1P builds on past success

Marketing clarifies protection-based plan

Read more about Marketing clarifies protection-based plan

RIM easements extend to Crow Wing River

Read more about RIM easements extend to Crow Wing River

Mille Lacs' Compass Program moves ahead

Read more about Mille Lacs' Compass Program moves ahead

Rum River gains RIM easement option

Read more about Rum River gains RIM easement option

TSA 8 staff propels Crow Wing County dam replacement

Read more about TSA 8 staff propels Crow Wing County dam replacement

Pagination

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BWSR agency programs that assist landowners and local government have resulted in less sediment and nutrients entering our lakes, rivers, and streams; more fish and wildlife habitat; and the drastic slowing of wetland losses.

The Board of Water and Soil Resources is an equal opportunity employer.

Main Address:
520 Lafayette Road North
St Paul, MN. 55155
(651) 296 - 3767

TTY: (800) 627-3529
info.BWSR@state.mn.us

BWSR Office Locations