Le Sueur County SWCD advances chain of lakes water quality work
By: Minnesota Board Of Water, Soil Resources
Tags: Water, Agriculture, Environment, Conservation

“Whenever you have a landowner who wants to do something along a major recreational lake, you want to be able to do that,” said Ryan Jones, the Mankato-based South Central Technical Service Area engineer who worked on the wetland design.

The $40,000 wetland project on Koppelman’s land now diverts water from a ravine and treats runoff from about 200 acres — most of it from neighboring fields fertilized with cow manure and hog manure — before it enters the lake.

The Cleveland Township site is one of 13 identified as high priorities within the 15,400-acre watershed, based on terrain analysis, the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study, and onsite verification. It’s one of 10 that Mankato Water Resource Center monitoring had identified and prioritized years earlier.

A $387,000 Clean Water Fund grant from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources made it possible for Le Sueur County SWCD staff to pursue projects with willing landowners. Matching funds include $34,000 from Le Sueur County’s aggregate mining tax. Landowners’ share was tiered, based on projects’ priority.

With his brother and son, Koppelman runs a contract feeder pig operation, raising about 3,000 mixed-breed hogs at any one time. The 100-acre Cleveland Township farm has been in Koppelman’s family since 1862. Before they switched to hogs in the late 1960s, his father had raised mink for about 50 years. Photo Credit: Ann Wessel, BWSR

“That’s what I’ve always wanted to do, but I’ve never had the resources to do it myself, or never felt that I wanted to do it for somebody else just to appease them,” said Koppelman, whose share was 10%.

Over the years, the Koppelmans had taken steps to curb runoff.

In the 1970s when the county determined that overflow caused by rain and snowmelt was polluting the lake, the Koppelmans built a lagoon and closed a couple of barns. Six years ago, Koppelman enrolled land in the federal Conservation Reserve Program and replaced a 1960s-built gabion basket. Designed for erosion control, it no longer functioned properly. Most recently, Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund dollars made a bluff stabilization possible.

When he meets with lake association members, Le Sueur County SWCD Manager Mike Schultz stresses the need for cooperation — and money.

Le Sueur County SWCD Manager Mike Schultz visits with Koppelman on his Cleveland Township farm. Photo Credit: Ann Wessel, BWSR

“I always tell these lake associations, ‘If you want to do something for the lake, you need money. Pancake feeds. Do something. If you can’t bring something to the table, how are we going to have the other half come to the table?’ ” Schultz said. “I feel like our role is bringing these two together and making sure that we understand that we’re moving forward together. Leo’s been a great example of how this works.”

The Greater Jefferson German Lakes Association contributed $12,000 toward Jefferson German water quality improvements.

“Our goal is to work with anyone and everyone around the chain of lakes that is interested in preserving the quality of the water,” said association President Ralph Redding.

A retired Blue Cross Blue Shield financial analyst from Apple Valley who bought a cabin on Middle Jefferson Lake in 1991, Redding is one of about 130 shoreland property owners on Middle Jefferson Lake, and one of about 900 on the chain of lakes.

The Jefferson German chain of lakes lies within the Cannon River watershed, which drains into the Mississippi River. Photo Credit: Ann Wessel, BWSR

The 136-member association raised $10,000 through a raffle and event at Beaver Dam Resort, situated on the chain of lakes. To raise the rest, Redding asked area businesses to contribute items for an auction.

“What benefits are we going to obtain from the phosphorus runoff project?” Redding said. “The quality of the water should improve.”

The 21 best management practices completed by early December 2020 represent about 70% of the work planned in connection with the Clean Water Fund grant, which runs through December 2021. Practices tied to the grant include structures designed to slow and filter runoff, 275 acres of cover crops, and two wetland restorations totaling about 27 acres.

The Koppelman project alone is projected to reduce soil erosion by 161 tons a year, curb sediment loading by 69 tons a year and reduce phosphorus loading by slightly more than 79 pounds a year.