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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

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Wetlands
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Wetlands Regulation in Minnesota

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Joint Application Form

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Wetland Bank Transaction Forms

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Local Government Road Wetland Replacement Program

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Tax Forfeit Lands Enrolled Into an Easement

RIM Reserve Outside Funding Request Easement Policy

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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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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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Chapter 103E Ditch Buffer Strip Reporting

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Grant Program Policies

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eLINK Reporting At a Glance

Clean Water Fund

Southwest Prairie TSA mentorship expedites SWCD techs’ proficiency

Read more about Southwest Prairie TSA mentorship expedites SWCD techs’ proficiency

Clean Water Fund program aims to expand partnerships

Read more about Clean Water Fund program aims to expand partnerships

Farmers sign on to mend erosion

Read more about Farmers sign on to mend erosion

Partners protect groundwater, habitat

Read more about Partners protect groundwater, habitat

Beefing up staffers’ grazing expertise

Read more about Beefing up staffers’ grazing expertise

BWSR joins partners on tour

Read more about BWSR joins partners on tour

Stevens SWCD erosion fixes catching on in Pomme de Terre River watershed

Read more about Stevens SWCD erosion fixes catching on in Pomme de Terre River watershed

Farmers are seeing benefits of Clean Water Fund-backed conservation projects that mend gullies, slow runoff, reduce nutrient-loading to Perkins Lake

Blue Lake alum treatment caps Isanti SWCD’s protection work

Read more about Blue Lake alum treatment caps Isanti SWCD’s protection work

MN CREP protects more than 35,000 acres

Read more about MN CREP protects more than 35,000 acres

Smart salting training, in Spanish

Read more about Smart salting training, in Spanish

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