Middle Fork Crow River Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Project (CWP Grant)
- Grant timeline February 2007 – February 2010
- Grant dollars: $242,000 Loan: $200,000 Match: $278,000 Total: $720,000
- The Middle Fork Crow River watershed is approximately 275 square miles and contains a number of economically and ecologically important lakes facing increasing population and development pressures. The hydrology of the watershed has been highly altered with nine dams creating reservoirs rather than natural lake systems, 15 ditches totaling nearly 140 miles of open channels, and a significant number of drained or filled in wetlands. Land use pressures and hydraulic changes have led to the degraded water quality for many of the lakes, while others are in need of protection from non-point sources of pollution. This project focused on protecting high quality lakes and restoring lakes with poor water quality by: providing educational opportunities that link people to the resources, implementing best management practices in areas identified as ecologically sensitive to reduce non-point pollution sources, and targeting specific lake management projects identified in prior diagnostic studies.