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Yahara WINs Pilot
Annual Report 2012
YaharaWatershedImprovementNetwork
WatershedAdaptiveManagementPilotProject
Prepared by: Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District
TableofContents:
ExecutiveSummary 3
PilotProject 4
2012Accomplishments 5
PracticesInstalled/Contractedin2012 6
AgriculturalPracticesWorkPlan 7
Research/ComplementaryProjects 8
WaterQualityMonitoring 10
WaterQualityMonitoringResults 12
FinancialData 13
PartnersSuccessin2012 15
Lookingahead—2013andbeyond 16
3
YAHARAWINSANNUALREPORT2012
Watershed adap ve management is a new, innova ve, and collabora ve compliance approach designed to
meet regulatory requirements for phosphorus throughout a watershed in a cost-effec ve manner. Madison
Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), in partnership with Dane County, Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), and mul ple ci es, villages, and towns in the Yahara watershed is implemen ng a water-
shed adap ve management pilot project to address phosphorus reduc ons required under the Rock River
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Pilot project par cipants include those signing the Memorandum of Un-
derstanding (MOU) and making a financial contribu on to the project. A number of other en es are par ci-
pa ng in the project in a less formal manner as “Interested Par es.”
Currently, this list includes:
Figure1:PilotProjectParticipants
Towns Villages Ci es Other Signatories/Funders Interested Par es
Blooming Grove Arlington Fitchburg Clean Lakes Alliance Capital Area Regional Planning
Commission (CARPC)
Bristol Co age Grove Madison Clean Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Agri-
culture, Trade and Consumer
Protec on (DATCP)
Burke DeForest Middleton Dane County The River Alliance of Wisconsin
Co age Grove Maple Bluff Monona Madison Gas & Electric U.S. Environmental Protec on
Agency (USEPA)
Dunn McFarland Stoughton MMSD Yahara Lakes Associa on
Middleton Oregon Sand County Founda on
Westport Shorewood Hills Stoughton U li es
Windsor Waunakee U.S. Geological Survey
Yahara Pride Farms
Wisconsin DNR
Yahara Watershed Improvement Network (Yahara
WINs) is the first project in the State of Wisconsin, and
na onally, to test the regulatory concept of Watershed
Adap ve Management. The Yahara WINs par cipants
have agreed to pilot test the adap ve management
approach before moving to full implementa on in the
Yahara River Watershed. The pilot project is being con-
ducted in the Sixmile Creek Watershed (Figure 2)
which is northwest of Lake Mendota.
The pilot project began in 2012 and will run through
2015. The total cost of the pilot project is approximate-
ly $3-million. The partner’s contribu ons will be made
propor onal to phosphorus reduc ons required by
Rock River Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) which
are shown in Figure 3.
The pilot project will install a mix of agricultural and
non-agricultural phosphorus control prac ces and eval-
uate the associated phosphorus reduc ons by model-
ing and through water quality monitoring. Both tradi-
onal in-stream water quality monitoring and edge-of-
field monitoring are integral to the pilot project. The
Yahara WINs payment system will allow payments for
baseline data, installa on of phosphorus reduc on
prac ces, and installa on of water management
prac ces.
GoalsofthePilotProject
The four-year pilot project will provide a good un-
derstanding of how Adap ve Management will
work in this watershed. The Memorandum of Un-
derstanding (MOU) indicates that the pilot project
will:
Evaluate the cost, performance, and ability to
implement phosphorus control prac ces
Gauge the level of community support for a full
scale project
Evaluate water quality impacts associated with im-
plemen ng phosphorus control prac ces.
YAHARAWINSPILOTPROJECT
Figure 2: Pilot Watershed Loca on
Figure 3: Rock River TMDL Iden fied Reduc ons
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2012ACCOMPLISHMENTSThe first year of the Pilot Project, 2012, resulted in many accomplishments, including the following
The development and execu on of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which is guiding the pilot pro-
ject. It can be found at madsewer.org/YaharaWINs/Resources/MOU.pdf
A press event was held to launch the project. A video of the event and the press release can be found at:
madsewer.org/YaharaWINsResources.htm
31-signatories to the MOU and 6-interested par es are par cipa ng in the Pilot Project.
The USEPA Region 5 Administrator visited the Pilot Watershed, discussed Yahara WINs and expressed the
agency’s support.
A liaison posi on for Yahara Pride Farms
was established on the Yahara WINs Exec-
u ve Commi ee.
An Agricultural Prac ces Work Plan was
developed.
A project website was developed
madsewer.org/YaharaWINsHome.htm
A $1.3-million Mississippi River Basin Ini -
a ve Grant was awarded to Dane County.
In the first sign-up period, over $100,000
in nutrient management planning was
contracted for the 2013 crop year.
422- acres of cover crops were installed in
Pilot Watershed in coopera on with Dane
County, Yahara Pride and the Clean Lakes Alliance resul ng in approximately 400-lbs of phosphorus reduc-
on.
With $159k Sand County Founda on funding and USGS cost-share, four new USGS gaging sta ons were
installed in the Pilot Watershed and have been collec ng water chemistry and flow data since July, 2012.
The Strategic Planning Workgroup and Execu ve Commi ee were formed and three mee ngs were held
for each group. Agendas and minutes are available at madsewer.org/YaharaWINSMee ngs.htm
First Newsle er issued: madsewer.org/YaharaWINs/Resources/YaharaWINsNewsle erNov2012.pdf
Mul ple research projects commenced: Leaf Management, Barnyards, Winter Runoff, Transient Sediment
Yahara Pride Farm Team incorporated as a 501.C.4 and received a grant from DNR and are moving ahead
with their Farmer Cer fica on process.
The Clean Lakes Alliance created videos of the Yahara Lakes: past, present and an cipated future vision for
the lakes: cleanlakesalliance.com/news/
Addi onal informa on is available throughout this report and on the Yahara WINs website.
Photo 1: Jeff Endres, President of the Yahara Pride Farm Team,
addresses the audience at the press conference announcing
Yahara WINs.
PRACTICESINSTALLED/CONTRACTEDIN2012
Mississippi River Basin Ini a ve (MRBI): Dane County secured this $1.3 million dollar grant from USDA/
NRCS to reduce nutrient runoff in the Pilot Watershed. MRBI is part of the Natural Resources Conserva on
Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incen ve Program (EQIP). Through this program, agricultural produc-
ers within the Six Mile Subwatershed are able to apply for financial assistance to install conserva on prac-
ces. NRCS has allocated this $1.3 million in cost share funds over four years to assist farmers in the volun-
tary implementa on of conserva on prac ces that avoid, control, and trap nutrient runoff; improve wild-
life habitat, and maintain agricultural produc vity.
MRBI Ac vi es: The first MRBI sign-up period ended in July 2012. Ten producers submi ed applica ons
and nine producers signed costs share contracts. All 2012 enrollments were for nutrient management
planning.
Total Incen ve Payments: $103,416
Total Acres: 2,653
Prac ce Implementa on Schedule: 2013 crop year
Cover Crop Demonstra on Program: Dane County, the Yahara Pride Farm Team and the Clean Lakes Alli-
ance ini ated this program which provided funding for 422-acres of cover crops in the Pilot Watershed to
reduce nutrient runoff this winter. The prac ces reduced phosphorus runoff by approximately 400-pounds
during the 2012-2013 Winter. Throughout the Yahara River Watershed, 894-acres were planted through
this program and the total cost-share payments amounted to $35,760. Some of the cover crop seeding was
completed by aerial applica on.
Photo 3: Cover crops are reducing the
phosphorus load to waterways this winter.
Photo 2: Aerial seeding allowed planting before
the harvest of corn for silage. Photo by Clean
Lakes Alliance
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AGRICULTURALPRACTICESWORKPLANA work plan has been developed to help guide Yahara WINs ac vi es directed at reducing phosphorus loads in
the agricultural sector so that they are accomplished in an efficient and cost-effec ve manner. Dane County
Land Conserva on Department, the Yahara Pride Farm Team, and Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District pro-
vided input on various aspects of the work plan.
The work plan lays out a systema c process for installing and maintaining agricultural best management prac c-
es that reduce phosphorus loads from rural nonpoint sources by approximately 1 pound/acre/year. This
equates to about 10,800 lbs over the four year pilot project. Steps needed to achieve this goal include inventory-
ing phosphorus sources, determining baseline phosphorus loads, iden fying areas with the greatest opportunity
for phosphorus reduc on, implemen ng phosphorus reduc on prac ces, and verifying the effec veness of
those prac ces. An cipated ac ons over the pilot period include:
2013 An cipated Ac ons
Contact 100% of the producers in the watershed.
Establish baseline informa on on 70% of the land.
Implement conserva on prac ces resul ng in 3,100 pounds of phosphorus reduc on.
Hold outreach and educa onal mee ngs for farm producers.
2014 Anticipated Actions Establish baseline informa on on remaining 30% of land.
Implement conserva on prac ces resul ng in an addi onal 3,500 pounds of phosphorus reduc on
Hold outreach and educa onal mee ngs for farm producers
2015 Anticipated Actions Implement conserva on prac ces resul ng in an addi onal 4,200 pounds of phosphorus reduc on.
Hold outreach and educa onal mee ngs for farm producers
Assess overall effec veness of agricultural ini a ves and iden fy opportuni es for improvement in advance
of full scale implementa on of adap ve management.
Funding
In order to provide the greatest opportunity for
success in the pilot project, a mul faceted ap-
proach is being taken to funding. Cost share assis-
tance to farm producers is available through tra-
di onal sources/programs including the Natural
Resources Conserva on Service (NRCS) Environ-
mental Quality Incen ve Program (EQIP) and
Dane County programs. Yahara WINs funding will
provide addi onal incen ve for the collec on of
baseline informa on and the implementa on of
phosphorus reduc on prac ces. Specifically, a
mul -level payment system has been developed
as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Yahara WINs Payment for
Phosphorus Reducing Ac vi es
RESEARCHANDCOMPLEMENTARYINITIATIVES
TownofSpring ieldManureDigester
Dane County is moving forward with plans for a second
community manure digester (iden fied by a green star
in Figure 5) and has entered into a new partnership
with the project owner Gundersen Health Sys-
tem. USBiogas has joined the partnership as project
developer. Construc on of the facility in the Town of
Springfield is an cipated to begin in the Spring of
2013. The digester will receive piped and trucked ma-
nure from three farms (green circles), one of which is
located in the pilot watershed. All three farms spread
manure on fields in the pilot area.
A study, par ally funded by Yahara WINs, will deter-
mine the technical and economic feasibility of apply-
ing a cu ng-edge nutrient concentra on technology
to the digester facility. The installa on of the nutrient
concentra on system would be a pilot project and will
provide the commercial valida on and experience
needed to replicate the system throughout the county.
In addi on to the direct ac ons of Yahara WINs, many complementary projects and ini a ves are occurring
throughout the watershed. These projects are working to implement prac ces, focus future phosphorus/
sediment reduc on efforts, and to inform the exis ng phosphorus models. The following provides brief sum-
maries of five of these ini a ves:
The 2013 Water Resources Management Prac cum is iden fying opportuni es for controlling sediment and
phosphorus transport to the Yahara Lakes by “harves ng” sediment that has accumulated in stream channels
and wetlands. Field measurements will be conducted in the Six-Mile Creek watershed to quan fy the current
and poten al amounts of sediment and phosphorus in selected channel reaches and wetlands and to iden fy
the most promising loca ons for periodic sediment harves ng. The Prac cum will also determine the most
prac cal methods for sediment harves ng and es mate the cost per unit of phosphorus removed. The infor-
ma on obtained from this study will be directly applicable to the en re Yahara Lakes watershed. In the first
semester (Fall 2012), the prac cum par cipants have been busy reading the literature on sediment transport
and becoming familiar with the watershed. They are planning to test a few methods for measuring transport
in late December so they will be ready to obtain baseline data before high spring runoff events.
UWMadisonNelsonInstitute—WaterResourcesManagementPracticum
Figure 5: Manure Digester Loca on
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SedimentandPhosphorusLoadsfromCattleExerciseLots:AssessandParameterize
This project is funded by Wisconsin DNR and includes collaborators from UW-Madison’s Soils and Biological Sys-
tems Engineering departments, USDA, Dane County Land Conserva on, and UW-Pla eville. It will lead to more
accurate assessment and ranking of barnyard, exercise lot and night pasture contribu ons of phosphorus load-
ing to the Sixmile Creek Adap ve Management Pilot Study watershed. Three lots are being monitored (one con-
crete and two soil) for runoff phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment. The runoff data will be used to test and im-
prove exis ng runoff nutrient loss assessment tools. The improved assessment tools will, in turn, be applied to
other lots within the pilot watershed. In addi on, the project includes soil tes ng for phosphorus in lot areas to
create a database to use for runoff phosphorus loss assessments, as, unlike cropland, this acreage is not rou ne-
ly soil-tested for produc on purposes. This project will add three edge-of-field monitoring sites. In addi on, this
project will improve the exis ng runoff modeling program SNAP-Plus.
LeafManagementPracticesThis project is funded by and involves collaborators from the City of Madi-
son, Dane County, The Fund for Lake Michigan, USGS, Wisconsin DNR, and
Yahara WINs. It involves a four year, paired basin, scien fic monitoring
study. Water quality will be monitored and the solids traveling through
the storm sewers will be collected and weighed. Year one will establish a
baseline in four different neighborhoods. Through the study, two basins
will remain control and various prac ces will be tested on the other basins
to determine the value of leaf collec on, op mize collec on prac ces, im-
prove SLAMM (modeling program used by urban en es to es mate the
quan ty of pollutants running off urban watersheds), and inform policy
makers regarding the benefits of various types leaf collec on methods.
PIndexandSnowmeltRunoffRiskAssessment:DemonstrationandRe inement
This project is funded through USDA-Natural Resources Conserva on Service’s Conserva on Innova on Grant
(CIG) and includes collaborators from UW-Madison’s Departments of Biological Systems Engineering and De-
partment of Soil Science, Dane County Land Conserva on Department, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District
and UW-Pla eville. This project will lead to more accurate assessment of the contribu on of snowmelt runoff
and winter manure applica ons to phosphorus loading in the watershed. Four fields will be monitored for win-
ter and spring-melt runoff. Using this field runoff data and comparing it to the in-stream flow monitored for the
pilot project, the researchers will be able to test, and if necessary improve, exis ng methods for assessing the
effects of field management of snowmelt runoff volume. In addi on, the project will es mate the propor on of
the total average annual phosphorus delivery to streams in the watershed from cropland and pastures that oc-
curs in winter and spring thaw runoff events. This project will add four edge of field monitoring sites and im-
prove exis ng modeling and es ma ng programs.
RESEARCHANDCOMPLEMENTARYINITIATIVES
Photo 4: Urban leaves, USGS photo
WATERQUALITYMONITORING
Success for Watershed Adap ve Management is a ained when the streams within the watershed are re-
moved from the impaired waters list. Therefore, Yahara WINs includes various types of monitoring. As the
pilot project con nues, more monitoring is expected to occur.
During the summer of 2012, the US Geological Survey (USGS) installed four streamflow monitoring sta-
ons within the Six Mile and Dorn Creek watersheds to measure concentra ons and loads (mass) of sedi-
ment, phosphorus, and other nutrients as part of the Watershed Adap ve Management Pilot. The loca-
ons are show as green circles on Figure 6. The Yahara WINs website provides links to the data gathered
at these sta ons: h p://www.madsewer.org/YaharaWINsHome.htm.
Funding
Funding for these sta ons is provided by mul-
ple sources, including USGS, the Sand County
Founda on and the Yahara WINs project. The
data from each of these efforts will be used to
determine how water quality changes as man-
agement prac ces are implemented and will
provide important informa on on the loading
of sediments and nutrients entering Lake Men-
dota. Prior to these installa ons, inputs to
Lake Mendota were only measured for the Ya-
hara River and Pheasant Branch watersheds.
Details
Water quan ty and water quality data are collected with instrumenta on and methods described in
(h p://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1015/). Sta on instrumenta on includes a nonsubmersible pressure trans-
ducer and associated dry-gas bubbler system to monitor water level (stage), a refrigerated autosampler to
pump water samples during storm-runoff periods, and a datalogger for data capture and program control.
Selected sta ons also have accompanying pping-bucket rain gauges. Two-way communica on is estab-
lished with each site via a cellular modem. Data is retrieved several mes per day and are available for
public viewing on the USGS Na onal Water Informa on System Web Interface h p://waterdata.usgs.gov/
wi/nwis/rt and Yahara WINs website: h p://www.madsewer.org/YaharaWINsHome.htm.
Monthly baseflow samples are collected at stream sta ons to represent sediment and nutrient concentra-
ons for non-storm periods. In general, 8-12 samples are analyzed for larger runoff events, and fewer sam-
ples for smaller events. Using this sampling method, approximately 100 sample analyses are necessary to
adequately represent the variability in a typical year. Samples are analyzed at the Madison Metropolitan
Sewerage District (MMSD) laboratory for total suspended solids, suspended sediment, total phosphorus,
dissolved ortho-phosphorus, ammonium nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, nitrate plus nitrite, and chloro-
phyll.
Figure 6: Loca on of USGS Gaging Sta ons—mapping by Dane Co.
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WATERQUALITYMONITORING
FlowMeasurements
Discharge (flow data) is collected and used in the computa on of sediment and nutrient mass loads.
Streamflow stages are con nuously recorded at 15-minute (baseflow) and 5-minute (storms) me in-
tervals and converted to a con nuous dis-
charge by means of a stage-discharge rela-
on developed from periodic measure-
ments of streamflow. The sta ons at Hwy
M are fully affected (Sixmile Creek) or inter-
mi ently affected (Dorn Creek) by backwa-
ter from Lake Mendota: a typical stage-
discharge rela on does not apply. Rather,
special hydroacous c instrumenta on is
used, and con nuous discharge is comput-
ed using combina on stage-area and veloc-
ity ra ngs.
EdgeofFieldMonitoring
Another type of monitoring occurring in and around the pilot watershed is edge of field monitoring.
As the name implies, this monitoring is conducted at the field edge, before runoff water enters the
stream. Because the monitored area is small (typically less than 40 acres) and the sources contribu ng
to the runoff are limited, this monitoring has poten al to reveal water quality changes due to prac ce
implementa on more quickly than in- stream sampling.
Currently, two surface runoff sites and one subsurface le site are being monitored by the USGS as
part of the Mississippi River Basin Ini a ve. Funding for this monitoring is provided by USDA NRCS,
Dane County, and USGS. Samples are collected using an automated sampler, with an equipment setup
similar to that for the pilot stream sites. Samples are analyzed for total dissolved solids, suspended
sediment, chloride, nitrate plus nitrite, ammonium, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, dissolved reac ve phos-
phorus, and total phosphorus.
Data
Mass loads of sediment and nutrients are computed a er the end of the water year (ending Septem-
ber 30), a er all of the concentra on data have been received from the laboratory and the discharge
record has been checked and finalized. The USGS combines the concentra on and flow data to com-
pute a daily load for each measured cons tuent. Annual loads are computed by summing all of the
daily loads.
Photo 5: Typical monitoring sta on, USGS Photo
MONITORINGRESULTSOn average, the Dane County Airport receives about 16-inches of precipita on from July through No-
vember. Since monitoring began, rainfall measured at one of the Dorn Creek sta ons totaled just over
12-inches for this period, roughly 4-inches (25 percent) below average. There were some rainfall
events that exceeded one or two inches; however, soils in the watershed were generally very dry, and
li le runoff was generated. As a result, the sampled runoff events were small compared to what is ex-
pected in the future. At this me, there are too few events to make informed interpreta ons of the
data with any reasonable level of confidence. To date, seven baseflow samples have been collected,
along with samples for seven small runoff events.
The largest runoff event in 2012 occurred on October 14 and 15 when over 2.5 inches of rainfall oc-
curred. Figure 7 below shows the runoff hydrograph for this event at the Sixmile Creek at Hwy M sta-
on. The photo below the hydrograph includes the samples that were collected. Nine of the samples
were selected, processed, and delivered to the MMSD lab for analysis. Note that the green line repre-
sen ng es mated discharge is quite “noisy.” This is due to a seiche or “bathtub” effect from Lake
Mendota.
Figure 7 Descrip on: Runoff hydrograph and samples collected October 13-17, 2012, Sixmile Creek at
Hwy M. The yellow triangles on the hydrograph represent where each sample was collected. The
smaller bo le in the photo is a manually-collected “equal-width-increment” (EWI) sample. Concentra-
ons of sediment and nutrients in the EWI sample are compared to those in a concurrently pumped
sample to ensure that the pumped samples are a good representa on of the actual concentra ons in
the stream cross sec on.
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FINANCIALDATA
Ac ons associated with the pilot project are supported with financial contribu ons and in-kind services from
mul ple sources, including the following:
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) par cipants
Sand County Founda on
United States Department of Agriculture grant under the Mississippi River Basin Ini a ve Program and
the Conserva on Innova ve Grant (CIG) Program
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
Dane County
University of Wisconsin research ini a ves
MOU par cipants include twenty-one municipal en es (towns, villages, and ci es) and ten other signato-
ries, including point source dischargers. These are iden fied in Figure 8. Those MOU par cipants specifically
iden fied in the Rock River TMDL as having phosphorus discharges in the Yahara Watershed are assessed an
annual fee to support the pilot project efforts. The fee is propor onal to the percentage of the cumula ve
phosphorus reduc on required in the Yahara Watershed using informa on from the Rock River TMDL. MOU
par cipants not specifically iden fied in the TMDL (USGS, Clean Lakes Alliance, Sand County Founda on,
and Clean Wisconsin) are also providing financial support. A complete lis ng of contribu ons is contained in
the signed MOU which is available on the Yahara WINs website.
Figure 8: Yahara WINs Funders
Towns Villages Ci es Other Signatories/Funders
Blooming Grove Arlington Fitchburg Clean Lakes Alliance
Bristol Co age Grove Madison Clean Wisconsin
Burke DeForest Middleton Dane County
Co age Grove Maple Bluff Monona MG&E
Dunn McFarland Stoughton MMSD
Middleton Oregon Sand County Founda on
Westport Shorewood Hills Stoughton U li es
Windsor Waunakee USGS
Yahara Pride Farms
WDNR
FINANCIALDATA
The Yahara WINs Execu ve Commi ee is tasked with the overall administra on of pilot project ac vi es, including but not limited to approving a budget and related expenditures for funds collected directly from MOU par cipants. At its December 17, 2012 mee ng, the Execu ve Commi ee, with input from the Strate-gic Planning Workgroup, approved the budget (Figure 9) for 2013.
Income 2012 2013
Sand County Founda on $85,000 $74,000
Annual Assessment to Other MOU Par cipants $0 $431,200
Carryover of Sand County Founda on 2012 Contribu ons $2,700
Total Income $85,000 $507,900
Expenditures
USGS/DNR/COM Leaf Study $20,000
Water Resource Management Prac cum $9,000
Manure Digester Reverse Osmosis Feasibility Study $30,000
USGS gaging sta ons-Installa on/O&M $55,300 $61,000
USGS gaging sta ons-u li es $12,000 $500
MMSD Laboratory Services for Water Quality Analysis $15,000 $20,000
Phosphorus Reduc on Prac ces and Management $309,000
Phosphorus Reduc on Demonstra on or Research Projects $53,400
Miscellaneous $5,000
Total Expenditures $82,300 $507,900
Note: This budget only addresses revenue generated under the MOU and resul ng expenditures. It does not reflect funds as-sociated with the Mississippi River Basin Ini a ve Grant for 2012 and 2013, nor does it reflect other funding sources such as Dane County Funds.
Figure 9: Yahara WINs 2013 Approved Budget
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PARTNERS’SUCCESSIN2012
Over the past year, people and organiza ons have been working hard to improve the Yahara River Watershed
including Dane County, Ci es, Villages, Towns, agencies, non-profit organiza ons and many others. A few ex-
amples of partners’ success in 2012 are noted below:
YaharaPrideFarmTeam(YPFT)
During 2012, YPFT incorporated as a 501 C 4, a non-profit that has the ability to bring in funds to pay out for
cost share best management prac ces. In addi on, they formally elected board members. During the year,
they had two informa onal mee ngs with farmers, introducing them to what YPFT is trying to accomplish.
They implemented a successful Fall cover crop program to protect soil from erosion and nutrient loss. In addi-
on, they have been helping to advance Yahara WINs by developing a process that will accomplish the goal of
an accurate baseline phosphorus level while protec ng the farmers’ privacy.
DaneCounty
In their 2013 Budget, Dane County allocated approximately $4.5-million to improving Dane County’s lakes and
watersheds. These funds will be used to help fund many of the Yahara Capital Lakes Environmental Assess-
ment and Needs (Yahara CLEAN) recommenda ons as well as to implement prac ces. For the Yahara WINs
project, Dane County will be serving as the broker and will be working directly with agricultural producers to
reduce phosphorus runoff using funds generated by Yahara WINs.
CleanLakesAlliance
The Clean Lakes Alliance (CLA) is a non-profit focused on improving the quality of Madison’s chain of lakes.
During 2012, they completed a 3-part Yahara Lakes video series including the past, present, and future vision
of the Yahara River Chain of Lakes. These videos can be found at: h p://www.cleanlakesalliance.com/news/.
In addi on, they completed two documents: The Yahara CLEAN Strategic Ac on Plan for Phosphorus Reduc-
on and the Yahara CLEAN Implementa on Plan. In November, CLA hosted a Community Breakfast as part of
the North American Lake Management Society’s conference. This breakfast a racted nearly 1000 people and
educated them about the issues facing the lakes as well as the opportuni es for improvement.
MadisonMetropolitanSewerageDistrict(MMSD)‐StruviteHarvestingSystem
MMSD invested $7.5 million in a Struvite Har-
ves ng System. This system is being constructed in
2012 and will be opera onal in 2013. It will re-
move 40-50% of the phosphorus from the biosol-
ids that are land applied in the watershed. The ex-
tracted phosphorus will be pelle zed and shipped
outside the watershed as specialty phosphorus
fer lizer.
LOOKINGAHEAD:2013ANDBEYOND
The adap ve management pilot project was successfully launched in 2012. In the pilot project, a diverse set
of stakeholders have agreed collaborate on a new approach designed to improve water quality and meet
regulatory obliga ons. The pilot project is the first me the adap ve management approach has been used
in Wisconsin.
Over the next two years, each par cipant should be evalua ng all op ons to comply with the reduc ons
required by the Rock River TMDL so that an informed decision can be made whether to par cipate in a full-
scale adap ve management plan in 2014. Informa on gen-
erated from the ac vi es iden fied below will help MOU
par cipants more fully evaluate the adap ve management
concept and the poten al for moving beyond the pilot to
implementa on of a full scale adap ve management ap-
proach for the Yahara Watershed:
Farm producers success in signing up for programs to
reduce phosphorus loads and improve water quality
through various offered through Yahara WINs, Dane
County and/or the United States Department of Agri-
culture.
The Yahara Pride Farm Team will host informa onal
mee ngs for farmers to help inform them of programs
and research that can help them conduct conserva on
improvements on their farms.
The baseline and event related water quality monitor-
ing instream and at the edge of field will con nue and
results will be available.
Dane County will administer funds under the Urban Water Quality Grants Program to support sediment
and phosphorus reduc on projects.
The Yahara Pride Farm Team will roll-out their cer fica on program for farmers which will help evaluate
conserva on strengths and weakness on their farms. This process will help create a blue print for future
conserva on upgrades along with a por olio of conserva on accomplishments that can be tallied for
environmental respect and financial benefits.
Research efforts conducted by the University of Wisconsin, and others, will provide informa on leading
to improved es mates of phosphorus loss from agricultural land and phosphorus mi ga on approaches.
Addi onal informa on on phosphorus impacts of leaf management strategies will be generated.
Par cipants will receive their ini al invoices in January 2013. It is currently an cipated that the decision to
move forward with full-scale adap ve management will take place in 2014.
Figure10:EvaluatingthePilotProject
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