Top Bar

About
Careers
Contact

Search activation for mobile

About
Careers
Contact

Search Search Area

About BWSR Grants

Apply for BWSR Grants

Frequently Used Acronyms

Grant Information & Resources

Grants Quarterly Newsletter
Resources for Grantees

eLINK

Grants Administration Manual
Landscape Resiliency & Climate Change

Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture

BWSR Climate Resiliency Toolbox

Carbon Sequestration: Conservation Practices and Programs

What’s Working for Conservation

Vegetation Establishment & Management

Native Vegetation Establishment and Enhancement Guidelines

Seed Mixes

Invasive Plants

Native Plant ID and Information

Restoring Conservation Lands
Conservation Easements FAQ

Conservation Easement Programs

Contacts

Geospatial Resources

Easement Forms

RIM Handbook & Guidance

Habitat Establishment & Management Resources

Cover Crops for Wildlife

Grassland Management

Interseeding Native Grasses and Forbs into an Existing Native Grass Stand

Invasive Thistle Species Control

Invasive Woody Species Control

Pollinator Habitat Guide

Seedbed Preparation from Cropland

Seedbed Preparation from Introduced Grasses to a Native Prairie Mixture

Seeding Tips and Establishment

Existing Easements

Easement Policies & Procedures

Drainage System Maintenance Policy

Easement Alteration Policy

Master Joint Powers Agreements, Cost Reimbursements, and Work Orders

RIM Reserve Outside Request Easement Policy

Tax Forfeit Lands Enrolled Into an Easement

Summary of Conservation Lands by County

RIM Rundown
Living Landscapes Initiative

Lawns to Legumes: Your Yard Can BEE the Change

Pollinator Pathways Grants

Habitat Friendly Utilities Program

Lawns to Legumes Partner Resources

Habitat Enhancement Landscape Program (HELP)

Pollinator and Biodiversity Toolbox

Community Outreach

Minnesota Habitat Friendly Solar Program

Community Conservation

Lawns to Legumes

Pollinator Pathways

Habitat Friendly Utilities

What to Plant in Buffers
Minnesota Buffer Law

Buffer Establishment & Management Toolbox

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

Implementation Guidance

Average Buffer Widths

Buffer Measurement for a Public Drainage Ditch

Building Better Buffers

Compliance Determinations

Conservation Reserve Program Exemption Guidance

Determining Normal Water Level

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

Haying and Grazing of Buffers

Vegetation Establishment Goals

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

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

Election of Jurisdiction

Enforcement

Compliance Tracking Tool (BuffCAT)

Buffer Program Update

Contacts
Soils & Soil Health

Model Soil Loss Ordinance

Tillage and Erosion Survey Project

Soil Health Practices Grant

Daily Erosion Project

Working Lands Resources

Agricultural Lands

Forest Land

Peatlands
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

Metro Watershed Management Plan

Metro State Agencies Review Roster

Metro Update

Watershed District Management Plan (non-metro)

Amendments and Extensions

Development and Revision

Metro County Groundwater Plan

SWCD Comprehensive Plans

Planning Information

Working with State Agencies

State Agency Review Roster for County Water Plans and Watershed Management Plans
Water Storage & Climate Resilience

Groundwater Protection

Urban Stormwater Management

Prioritize, Target, and Measure Application (PTMApp)

Water Quality Tools & Models
Drainage in Minnesota

Understanding Minnesota Public Drainage Law

Minnesota Public Drainage Manual

Drainage Work Group

Drainage Management Team

Drainage Records Modernization

Chapter 103E Ditch Buffer Strip Reporting

Multipurpose Drainage Management
Wetlands Regulation in Minnesota

Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) Contacts

Joint Application Form

WCA Forms & Templates

WCA Program Guidance & Information

WCA Topics of the Week

WCA Rulemaking

WCA Rulemaking Comments Received

WCA Program Reports

404 Assumption
Wetland Bank Credits and Fees

Wetland Bank Transaction Forms

Wetland Bank Guidance and Information

Local Government Road Wetland Replacement Program

Agricultural Wetland Bank

In-Lieu Fee Mitigation Program

Wetland Bank & Mitigation Easements
Wetland Delineation

Wetland Functional Assessment

Wetland Restoration

Wisconsin-Minnesota Functional Assessment Initiative

Minnesota Stream Quantification Tool and Debit Calculator
Minnesota Wetland Professional Certification Program Information

Wetland Training Schedule and Registration

MWPCP Class Portal

Wetland Training Resources
Online Learning

Training Calendar

Technical Training and Certification Program

Area Technical Training Teams

Conservation Planning

Core Competency

Job Approval Authority

Technical Training Individual Development Plan (IDP) Tool

Technical Training Resources

MN Wetland Professional Certification Program Information

BWSR Academy

2025 BWSR Academy

2024 BWSR Academy

BWSR Spring Training

Training Updates

Successful Outreach Strategies
Performance Review and Assistance Program (PRAP) Grants

PRAP Grants

Conservation Project Planning and Promotion

Inspections

Invasive Species Control

Native Vegetation

Pollinator Habitat

Prairie, Savanna, Forest and Agricultural Projects

Stormwater, Shoreline and Wetland Projects

Standard Reviews & Checklists

Vision for Native Vegetation and Biodiversity

FY25 Conservation Reserve Program State Incentives Grant Program

MN Wetland Restoration Guide

PRAP Legislative Reports
About BWSR

What We Do

Board

BWSR Executive Leadership

Staff

Strategic Plan

Engagement Process

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Affirmative Action Plan

Legislative Resources

Careers

Contact Us
About Our Partners

Soil and Water Conservation Districts

Watershed Districts

Watershed Management Organizations

Counties

Cities and Townships

Regional Partnerships
News & Publications

Subscribe

News Releases

BWSR Story Library

Conservation Stories

BWSR Snapshots

Snapshots Archive

Featured Plant

Featured Plant Archive

Reports

Statewide

Home
Statewide

Neighborhood connections aid gardeners

Read more about Neighborhood connections aid gardeners

PRAP grant boosts efficiency

Read more about PRAP grant boosts efficiency

Excellence in Conservation: 2016 SWCD Employees of the Year

Read more about Excellence in Conservation: 2016 SWCD Employees of the Year

Minnesota’s Water Planning Efforts Evolve

Read more about Minnesota’s Water Planning Efforts Evolve

Clean Water Fund Performance Report

Read more about Clean Water Fund Performance Report

Where Soil and Water Meet

Read more about Where Soil and Water Meet

2014 BWSR Legislative Summary

Read more about 2014 BWSR Legislative Summary

Outreach That Works: the Farm Bill Assistance Partnership

Read more about Outreach That Works: the Farm Bill Assistance Partnership

Pagination

Subscribe to Statewide

Useful Links

BWSR Maps and Apps Gallery
Careers
eLINK
Staff
Subscribe
Webmaster Email

Connect with Us

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

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