Submitted by Adam Kastonek – Public Information Officer, St. Croix County
HUDSON, WI – St. Croix County’s Land and Water Conservation Division successfully acquired a surface water protection grant from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that will focus on implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the Kinnickinnic Watershed. The 22-mile Kinnickinnic River is a valued natural resource and popular trout stream. Over the years, it has garnered strong public support for its preservation. Efforts include land protection easements conducted by the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust which is also involved in restoration efforts. The City of River Falls has also been working to remove two dams on the Kinnikinnic River that would restore the river to a free-flowing condition.
Conservation staff plan to work with farmers within the Kinnickinnic watershed to install BMPs to reduce sediment and nutrient losses into the river. Projects will include grass waterways, buffers, sediment basins, streambank improvements, and more. The work will also benefit Lake St. Croix which is downstream of the Kinnikinnic River.
The grant will begin January 1, 2025, and provide over $375,000 in cost share funding to implement BMPs in the watershed. Informational meeting and outreach efforts will be organized to inform landowners of the opportunities available to implement conservation.
More information will be available on the St. Croix County website. Landowners and farm operators seeking more information on implementing BMPs or protecting the Kinnickinnic River can contact Evan Lutkenhaus, Conservation Planner with St. Croix County. • 715-377-2831, • evan.lutkenhaus@sccwi.gov.
