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Buffers
Resources for Landowners

Minnesota Buffer Law

What Can I Plant?

Building Better Buffers

Does This Apply to My Land?

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
Wetland Conservation Act Resources

Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) Contacts

Joint Application Form

WCA Forms and Templates

WCA Program Guidance and Information

Topics of the Week
Mitigation & Banking

Wetland Bank Credits and Fees

Wetland Bank Transaction Forms

Wetland Bank Guidance & Information

Local Government Road Wetland Replacement Program

Wetland Bank & Mitigation Easements

In-Lieu Fee Mitigation Program

Agricultural Wetland Bank
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Wetland Delineation

Delineation Manuals

Delineation Guidance & Resources

Hydrology & Antecedent Precipitation

Lateral Effect & Drainage Setback

Wetland Functional Assessment

Wetland Restoration
MN WETLAND PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Minnesota Wetland Professional Certification Program

Wetland Training Opportunities

MWPCP Class Portal

Online Wetland Training
SPECIAL PROJECTS

Wetland Conservation Act Rulemaking

WCA Rulemaking Comments Received

Wisconsin - Minnesota Wetland Functional Assessment Initiative

404 Assumption

Minnesota Stream Quantification Tool and Debit Calculator

Waters of the U.S.
Easements
MN CREP

MN CREP for Landowners

MN CREP for SWCDs
Resources for Landowners

Conservation Easements FAQ

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Summary of Conservation Lands by County
Resources for SWCDs

Geospatial Resources

Existing Easements

RIM Handbook & Guidance

Easement Forms

Easement Policy & Procedure

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

Seedbed Preparation from Introduced Grasses to a Native Prairie Mixture

Interseeding Native Grasses and Forbs into an Existing Native Grass Stand

Seeding Tips and Establishment

Pollinator Habitat Guide

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BWSR Climate Resiliency Toolbox

Carbon Sequestration: Conservation Practices and Programs

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Tillage and Erosion Survey Project

Model Soil Loss Ordinance

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Prioritize, Target, and Measure Application (PTMApp)

PTMApp Theory, Documentation, and User Guides

PTMAPP Learning Center

Water Quality Tools and Models
Practice Establishment & Restoration

Restoring Conservation Lands

FY25 Conservation Reserve Program State Incentives Grant Program

BWSR Ecology Update

Wetland Restoration

MN Wetland Restoration Guide

Vegetation Establishment & Mgmt

Native Vegetation Establishment and Enhancement Guidelines

Seed Mixes

Invasive Plants

Native Plant ID and Information

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Lawns to Legumes Program

Habitat Friendly Utilities Program

Habitat Enhancement Landscape Program (HELP)

Pollinator and Biodiversity Toolbox

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Drainage in Minnesota

Understanding Minnesota Public Drainage Law

Minnesota Public Drainage Manual

Drainage Work Group

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Drainage Records Modernization

Chapter 103E Ditch Buffer Strip Reporting

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Multipurpose Drainage Management
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State Agency Review Roster for County Water Plans and Watershed Management Plans
Plan Types

One Watershed, One Plan

One Watershed, One Plan Participating Watersheds

One Watershed, One Plan Policies

One Watershed, One Plan Resources

One Watershed, One Plan Videos

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Development and Revision

Metro Watershed Management Plan

Metro Update

Metro State Agencies Review Roster

County Water Plan

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Metro County Groundwater Plan
Operational Resources
TRAINING

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2025 BWSR Academy

2024 BWSR Academy

2023 BWSR Academy

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SWCD Operational Handbook

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eLINK

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Linking Activities

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Creating an SWCD Capacity Workplan

NRBG Flex Spending

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Nonstructural Land Management Practices

MinnFARM Pollution Reduction Estimates

Grants Administration Manual

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About

Processing a BWSR Grant

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Grant Noncompliance Policy

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Closing out a BWSR Grant

Grants Monitoring and Financial Reconciliations

Time and Effort Documentation

Determining a Billing Rate

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Private and Nonpublic Data

Conflict of Interest

Recommended Local Polices and Requirements

Financial Management and Accounting

Allowable and Unallowable Costs

Payroll and Personnel Records

Frequently Asked Questions

Implementing Practices

Implementing Contracts with Land Occupiers

Operation, Maintenance, and Inspection of Practices

Vegetation Requirements for BWSR Funded Projects

Recording Conservation Practices

Optional and Example Forms

Archive

Grant Programs

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Clean Water Legacy Partners Grant Program

Accelerated Implementation Grant Profile

Lake Superior Basin Implementation Grant Profile

Multipurpose Drainage Management

One Watershed One Plan Planning Grant

One Watershed One Plan Mid-Point Grant

Projects and Practices

Watershed-Based Implementation Funding Grant Profile

Watershed-based Implementation Funding Program

County Grants

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BWSR SSTS

Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems

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Wetland Conservation Act

SWCD Grants

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Buffer Law Implementation

Conservation Contracts Program

Conservation Contracts Program Update

Conservation Delivery

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Cooperative Weed Management

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Soil Health Delivery

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State Cost Share Program

State Cost Share Reporting

SWCD Local Capacity Services

TSA Grants

TSA Enhanced Shared Technical Services

Nonpoint Engineering Assistance Program

Disaster Recovery Assistance Program

Other Grant Programs

Performance Review and Assistance Program (PRAP) Grant Profile

Water Quality and Storage Pilot Program Grant Profile

Wellhead Protection Partner Grants Program Pilot Grant Profile

Living Landscapes Programs

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

Habitat Enhancement Landscape Pilot Grant Profile

CRP State Incentives Program Grant Profile

Habitat Enhancement Landscape Program Grant Profile

Pollinator Pathways Grant Profile

Grant Program Policies

Grant Reporting

eLINK Reporting At a Glance

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Sand Hill River Watershed District: Water quality work expands

Read more about Sand Hill River Watershed District: Water quality work expands

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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

BWSR's work is supported by Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment Funding

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