Minnesota Clean Water Fund

On November 4, 2008, Minnesota voters approved the Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment to the constitution to:

• protect drinking water sources;
• protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat;
• preserve arts and cultural heritage;
• support parks and trails;
• and protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.

The Amendment increases the sales and use tax rate by three-eighths of one percent on taxable sales, starting July 1, 2009, continuing through 2034. Those dollars are dedicated to four funds: Outdoor Heritage Fund, Clean Water Fund, Parks and Trails Fund, and Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

BWSR has received appropriations from the Outdoor Heritage Fund and the Clean Water Fund.

Specifics about projects funded through BWSR are available at our Clean Water Stories page.

Additionally, the Legislative Coordinating Commission (LCC) maintains the website Minnesota's Legacy, Watch the progress, to help Minnesotans monitor how these dollars are spent.

FY 2013 Clean Water Fund

New - On December 12, 2012, the board approved funding for the fiscal year 2013. You can see a map of recipients or view recipients by grant program by following the links in the upper right hand box on this page.

Click here to see a summary of the response to the FY2013 application.

Clean Water Fund Promotion

BWSR is committed to promoting Clean Water Fund projects, and we encourage you to also promote Clean Water Fund projects that are underway in your location. For your use, we've developed three news release templates:

• A general release, promoting Clean Water Fund work, with space for LGUs to fill in project information. Download the general release template
• A Community Partners Program release, with space for LGUs to fill in project information and encouraging local groups to apply through LGU. Download the Community Partners Program release template
• A Conservation Drainage Program release, with space for LGUs to fill in project information and encouraging landowners to apply through LGU. Download the Conservation Drainage Program release template

If you have any questions, or need further assistance, please contact BWSR Communication Director Jennifer Maleitzke at 651-215-9008 or jennifer.maleitzke@state.mn.us.

Legacy Logo

The Legacy Logo identifies projects funded by the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment.

BWSR Clean Water Fund Legislative Report

The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources has prepared a report that outlines the comprehensive strategy used to implement the Fiscal Year 2012 appropriation from the Clean Water Fund. This report meets the requirements of the Laws of Minnesota 2011, 1st Special Session, Chapter 6, Article 2, Section 7.

• Read the report (March 1, 2012)

BWSR Clean Water Fund Policy

• Fiscal Year 2013 Policy
• Fiscal Year 2012 Policy
• Fiscal Year 2011 Policy
• Fiscal Year 2010 Policy

News Coverage of Clean Water Fund Projects

• Shoreline Restoration Project on Stony Brook -- June 8 article in the Lake Country Echo and Pine River Journal features a demonstration shoreline restoration project by the Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District, partnering with the City of Lake Shore. This project will help protect the water quality and ecosystem of Stony Brook and demonstrate types of plants to use in a shoreline restoration. Funding for this project was through a grant from the Clean Water Legacy Amendment.
• Plymouth Creek Restoration Project Finished -- June 8 article by KSTP highlights a $950,000 project to improve water quality in Medicine Lake--the second largest lake in Hennepin County. Funding for the project came from Hennepin County, the Bassett Creek Watershed Restoration Project, and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources through the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment.
• A clean water legacy -- January 2011 article in the Winona Post about the Winona SWCD's work to upgrade several feedlots though a Clean Water Fund grant.
• Grant helps green Stillwater golf course -- August 2010 article at TheAmendment.org about a $62,000 grant from BWSR that has teamed up with a $5,000 cash match and $5,000 in-kind match from Stillwater Country Club, and $46,900 from Brown's Creek Watershed District to pay for a project to improve water quality in Brown’s Creek and the St. Croix River.
• SWCD gets $448k for conservation projects -- June 2010 article in the Sherburne County Citizen features the Sherburne Soil and Water Conservation District's Native Buffer Grant and Clean Water Fund Assistance Grant projects. Some of the conservation and restoration projects to be funded by these grants include native prairie restoration, shoreline stabilization, and rain garden installations.
• 7-way partnership tackles Diamond Lake wetland pollution -- May 2010 article in Southside Pride features the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District's project to install neighborhood infiltration activities, including 50 raingardens on residential properties, and pervious pavement systems in several locations, including a church and a city park.
• "New Approach to Halting River Erosion," -- March 20, 2010 article in the Mankato Free Press features a grant to the Blue Earth SWCD for a project along the Le Sueur River. The article includes an explanation of a Toe Wood-Sod Mat with Woody Debris project with a graphic illustration created by Mankato Free Press staff.
• "Crow Wing County SWCD Projects Grant," -- March 19, 2010 news segment Lakeland Public Television, and a Brainerd Dispatch article provide information about the Recharge! Restoring Natural Hydrology to Crow Wing County Urban Communities project.
• BWSR FY 2010 Competitive Grants News Release: Jan. 28, 2010 news release - BWSR approved more than $14 million in state grants for projects that will protect and restore Minnesota’s streams, rivers, lakes and groundwater. Funding the competitive grants includes $2 million from the state's general fund and $12 million from the Minnesota Clean Water Fund. Most of the funded projects also leverage local and federal dollars.

Grant Recipients

Fiscal Year 2012

• FY 2012 Program Descriptions

2012 Clean Water Fund Recipients

• Maps of Recipients (revised April 13, 2012)
• Clean Water Assistance
• Accelerated Implementation Grants
• Community Partners
• Conservation Drainage
• Livestock Waste Management
• SSTS Abatement
• MDH Well Sealing
• Grants Policy
• Request for Proposal (RFP)
• BWSR Review Process

Fiscal Year 2011

• CWF grant recipients
• Conservation Drainage grant recipients
• SSTS Inventory and Enhancement grant recipients
• SSTS Abatement grant recipients

Fiscal Year 2010

• CWF grant recipients (Approved January 28, 2010)
• Native Buffer Grant and Cooperative Weed Management Area grant recipients (Approved January 28, 2010
• Conservation Drainage grant recipients (Approved January 28, 2010)

Clean Water Fund Listening Sessions

A series of listening sessions around the state were held in 2010 to gather ideas and insights to inform the Minnesota Water Sustainability Framework, a 25-year plan on how and when to make investments that will ensure the purity and abundance of Minnesota's water for generations to come. Citizens, local officials and water resources professionals are invited to attend the listening session in their area to provide input on this plan.

Download the 11 x 17 Handout on the Clean Water Fund Listening Sessions or Read more about the Clean Water Fund Listening Sessions