1 Yahara River Watershed RCPPKyle Minks Conservation Nutrient Specialist Dane County Land and Water Resources Department

2 Yahara River Watershed RCPPTitle: Reducing Total Phosphorus and Sediment Loads in the Yahara Watershed Through Wisconsin’s Adaptive Management Option Primary Resource Concern - Excessive sediments and nutrients in surface waters Funding Pool Critical Conservation Area Mississippi River Basin

3 Partnerships Dane Count Land and Water Resources DepartmentMadison Metropolitan Sewage District Yahara Watershed Improvement Network (WIN’s) Clean Lakes Alliance Sand County Foundation UW-Madison Natural Resources Conservation Service

4 Location Yahara River & Badfish Creek Watersheds 300,000 acres60% Agriculture 540 miles of streams a rivers 4 lakes Rock River TMDL – Lower Rock Basin

5 Objectives Continued implementation of NRCS conservation practices14 practices – grassed waterways, manure storage, terraces etc… Test four innovative practices Harvestable buffers Legacy sediment removal Regional manure storage Yet to be determined (VMI, continuous no-till, etc…)

6 Objectives Comprehensive water quality monitoring5 USGS gaging stations 12 MMSD sites 22 citizen monitoring sites

7 Objectives Quantification of phosphorus reductions SNAP Plus BARNY P8SWAT TIN SWAT Soil Loss x Phosphorus Concentration

8 Objectives EPA 9-step watershed plan Outreach and educationAg Innovation Days Farm Tours Conservation Conference

9 Strategy 2013 SWAT Report Allocate resources based on priorityIdentify priority areas Allocate resources based on priority Work with producers to address resources concerns Quantify load reductions from practice implementation Evaluate water quality data

10 Questions