Progress 10/01/02 to 09/30/03
Outputs
The following progress report for research activities addressed by the Red River Water Management Consortium (RRWMC) covers the reporting period extending from October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003, and includes portions of Years 7 and 8 of operation. The RRWMC operational year extends from March 1 through February 28. Annual research activities of the RRWMC are defined by a work plan based on member-specific needs and input. Objectives of Year 7 were achieved, and significant progress has been made on Year 8 objectives. Results of the Year 7 activities are detailed in the completed annual report cited below. Some of the more significant accomplishments achieved during the reporting period of the grant include the following. The North Dakota Industrial Pretreatment Assistance Program (NDIPAP) was established to assist industries and publicly owned treatment works with pretreatment requirements for industrial wastewater discharges. Consortium members have
requested that the RRWMC investigate water security issues and developments because of potential threats against water and wastewater systems including intentional contamination, physical destruction, cyber attacks, and interdependencies. Through the Red River Regional Council, the RRWMC is providing technical assistance to a local fish farm in order to maintain consistently good water quality in its recirculating aquaculture system to enhance fish production. The impacts of tile drainage in the basin are being researched from a local and regional hydrologic and water quality viewpoint. Monitoring protocols for the Red River of the North were developed in the Grand Cities metropolitan area as a basis for identifying, characterizing, and mitigating stormwater-related impacts to water quality. The RRWMC contributed to the development of phosphorus management plans and industrial water user surveys to assist local cities with their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit
requirements. A preliminary investigation is being conducted to determine whether aquifer storage/recovery would be a feasible option for emergency municipal water supplies in the basin. Investigating the developments of drought management seminars and conferences has provided entities in the Red River Basin with the knowledge they need to develop their own drought management plans and drought mitigation measures. The Red River Basin Biological Monitoring Workgroup (RRBMW) continued to facilitate the development of standard macroinvertebrate-monitoring protocols for deep, slow-moving rivers typical of the lower Red River Basin. Cass County requested that the RRWMC assist them in promoting and facilitating the development of desirable riparian characteristics of county-purchased properties along the Red and Wild Rice Rivers. A brochure containing information about native vegetation and the advantages of a properly functioning riparian area was developed, and a landowner education
workshop was held to assist Cass County with these efforts. Updates to the RRWMC Web site continue, and the RRWMC Newsletter continues to be produced and distributed to nearly 250 interested entities.
Impacts
The Red River Water Management Consortium (RRWMC) program is succeeding as originally envisioned, with an expanding membership composed of vested stakeholders within the Red River Basin. The RRWMC is realizing its goal of providing practical stakeholder-driven technical input for the development of a long-term watershed management strategy focusing on water quantity and quality. Coordinated cooperative water management in the Red River Basin is becoming a reality through the partnerships and spin-off activities developed by the RRWMC and afforded by the financial support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Publications
- Energy & Environmental Research Center, 2003, Red River Water Management Consortium Annual Report - Year 7: Annual Report (March 2002-February 2003) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and multiple clients, Grand Forks, North Dakota, Energy & Environmental Research Center, June, 90 p.
- RRWMC Newsletter, 2003, v. 3, no. 1.
- RRWMC Newsletter, 2003, v. 3, no. 2.
- "Watershed Management - Industrial Issues," 20th Annual Red River Basin Land & Water International Summit Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba, January 2003.
- "Red River Water Management Consortium," 1st International Water Conference, Water, Science and Decision-Making, Moorhead, Minnesota, April 2003.
- "Real-Time Water Security Monitoring," 1st International Water Conference, Water, Science and Decision-Making, Moorhead, Minnesota, April 2003.
- "Phase II NPDES Storm Water Program Public Education and Outreach," 1st International Water Conference, Water, Science and Decision-Making, Moorhead, Minnesota, April 2003.
- "Constructing Flood Hazard Mitigation Plans at the County Level," 1st International Water Conference, Water, Science and Decision-Making, Moorhead, Minnesota, April 2003.
- "Comprehensive Watershed Assessment Results for the Pembina River Headwaters," 1st International Water Conference, Water, Science and Decision-Making, Moorhead, Minnesota, April 2003.
|
Progress 10/01/01 to 09/30/02
Outputs
The following progress report for research activities addressed by the Red River Water Management Consortium (RRWMC) covers the reporting period of the grant, extending from October 1, 2001, through September 30, 2002, and includes portions of Years 6 and 7 of operation. The RRWMC operational year extends from March 1 through February 28. Research activities for each operational year of the RRWMC are defined by a work plan developed based on member-specific needs and input. Objectives of Year 6 were achieved, and significant progress has been made on Year 7 objectives. Results of the Year 6 activities are detailed in the completed annual report cited below. Some of the more significant accomplishments achieved during the reporting period of the grant include the following. Assistance is being provided, in conjunction with the Red River Basin Riparian Project (RRBRP), to a local water resource district facing recurring problems related to poor land use practices in the
riparian area of a creek, resulting in numerous bank blowouts and the subsequent excess siltation in the stream. The Grand Forks County Commission requested that the RRWMC assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in addressing local landowner concerns regarding the expansion of a local wetland complex. These concerns include the potential for increased salinity in adjacent private lands, an increase in mosquito-breeding areas, land value changes, and the management of invasive plant species. The Red River Basin Biological Monitoring Workgroup (RRBMW) was formed, coordinated, and facilitated through efforts of the RRWMC. The RRBMW has been very successful in bringing surface water researchers from across the Red River Basin together to work toward common objectives and establish improved communications. The RRBMW continues working toward the development of standard macroinvertebrate-monitoring protocols for deep, slow-moving rivers typical of the lower Red River Basin.
Groundwater-monitoring activities continue at a local hog-farrowing facility. The facility is located near a major aquifer, a locally important source of potable and irrigation water. Quarterly groundwater sampling is being conducted in accordance with the facility's permit to operate. The feasibility of implementing aquifer storage and recovery, an innovative groundwater recharge technique, was evaluated for key areas of the Red River Basin. A separate assessment of the feasibility of artificial groundwater recharge via infiltration basins was conducted to address water security in the event of drought conditions. Both groundwater recharge techniques are being considered as key components of a long-term facility water management strategy being developed for a regional corn wet-milling plant. The Storm Water Work Group (SWWG), facilitated by the RRWMC, continues to provide coordination and leadership in the development of regional strategies for those entities affected by new federal
Phase II storm water regulations. Maintenance and updates to the RRWMC Web site continue on a routine basis. Focus groups featured on the Web site include the Pembina River Basin Advisory Board, the SWWG, and the RRBMW.
Impacts
The Red River Water Management Consortium (RRWMC) program is succeeding as originally envisioned, with an expanding membership composed of the major water-dependent stakeholders within the Red River Basin. The RRWMC is beginning to realize its goal of developing comprehensive water management strategies for its membership. Coordinated cooperative water management in the Red River Basin is becoming a reality through the partnerships and spin-off activities developed by the RRWMC and afforded by the financial support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Publications
- Energy & Environmental Research Center, 2002, Red River Water Management Consortium Annual Report -Year 6: Annual Report (March 2001 - February 2002) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and multiple clients, Grand Forks, North Dakota, Energy & Environmental Research Center, March, 95 p.
- RRWMC Newsletter, 2001, v. 1, no. 1.
- RRWMC Newsletter, 2001, v. 1, no. 2.
- RRWMC Newsletter, 2002, v. 1, no. 3.
- "Water Management in the Red River of the North Basin," Integrated Transboundary Water Management, Traverse City, Michigan, July 23-26, 2002.
- "Using Monitoring Data to Promote Local Water Quality Improvements: The FM River Project and Related Volunteer Monitoring," National Monitoring Conference, Madison, Wisconsin, May 2002.
- "FM River Project," National Monitoring Conference, Madison, Wisconsin, May 2002.
|
Progress 10/01/00 to 09/30/01
Outputs
This report provides an update on research activities of the Red River Water Management Consortium (RRWMC). Work performed during the reporting period includes the completion of Year 5 of the RRWMC and the first half of Year 6. Research activities of the RRWMC are member-defined and most activities change from year to year to satisfy the needs of the members. Results of the research conducted during Year 5 are detailed in a final report cited below. All objectives of the RRWMC Year 5 annual work plan were achieved. Year 6 continuation projects include groundwater quality monitoring at a concentrated livestock feeding operation to ensure the protection of a local aquifer, coordination and facilitation of the Red River Basin Biological Monitoring Workgroup to bring together researchers in the basin working on surface water macroinvertebrate monitoring, facilitation of the Red River Valley Storm Water Work Group to foster regional cooperation in addressing upcoming Phase
II storm water regulations, and continuation of a watershed modeling effort. The following activities are currently being pursued based on the Year 6 work plan proposed by the members and approved by the advisory board. Membrane separation of the largest process wastewater stream at a major potato-processing facility is being investigated to determine the potential to significantly reduce municipal water demand. Local reuse alternatives are being explored for spent lime from water treatment. Modifications to filter walls previously installed to mitigate tunnel ventilation exhaust from gestation barns at a hog farrowing facility have been completed and are being monitored for effectiveness and durability. An assessment of the feasibility of artificial groundwater recharge via infiltration basins is being conducted to ensure reliable groundwater supplies during drought conditions. Technical assistance is being provided in the development of off-channel surface water storage ponds as a
source of irrigation water. An investigation of alternative groundwater resources is being conducted for a potato-processing facility to supplement or replace a portion of the plant demand during times of critical need. A survey of the riparian conditions along a section of the Turtle River in Grand Forks County has been completed to identify major snags which could exacerbate local flooding and areas of significant bank instability. Technical assistance is being provided on a Watershed Restoration Action Strategy being conducted by the Pembina River Basin Advisory Board (PRBAB). The potential for timing the releases of water from Lake Traverse into the Red River is being investigated as a means of reducing costs for downstream water treatment plants. An evaluation of sulfide generation and monitoring techniques is being conducted on wastewater storage ponds at a local sugar factory. The utility of forming a grassroots advisory board to track regional TMDL processes is being
investigated. A major redesign of the RRWMC Web site has been completed, and a Web site featuring the PRBAB has been developed. Facility water management strategies are being developed for a regional corn wet milling plant.
Impacts
The RRWMC is proving to be a model for basinwide partnership building across state, provincial, and jurisdictional boundaries. The RRWMC continues to be successful in bringing major stakeholders of the Red River Basin together with representatives of the various regulatory agencies operating in the basin to openly exchange ideas, discuss problems, and develop strategies to resolve water management issues. The RRWMC is expected to continue to grow in membership and continue to develop cooperative ties with other regional water management entities for the benefit of the entire basin.
Publications
- Energy & Environmental Research Center, 2001, Red River Water Management Consortium annual report - Year 5: Annual Report (March 2000 - February 2001) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and multiple clients, Grand Forks, North Dakota, Energy & Environmental Research Center, March, 114 p.
- RRWMC Newsletter, 2001, v. 1, no. 1.
- RRWMC Newsletter, 2001, v. 1, no. 2.
|
Progress 10/01/99 to 09/30/00
Outputs
This report provides an update on accomplishments of work performed between the project start date, June 1, 2000, and the end of the progress period, September 30, 2000. Work on Red River Water Management Consortium (RRWMC) member-defined water management activities was initiated during the period in question. These activities included efforts in the following subtasks: conducted bench-scale testing to determine removal efficiencies of organic matter from regional surface waters by powdered activated carbon produced from North Dakota lignite; facilitated pilot testing of membrane treatment for a high-strength wastewater effluent from a corn-processing facility to evaluate constituent recycle and waste stream reuse; assisted a hog farrowing facility in instituting On-Farm Environmental Assessment recommendations; began an investigation into alternative alkaline treatment of municipal wastewater within the collection system for hydrogen sulfide control; provided GIS
support for the Red River Basin Riparian Project and the Grand Forks, North Dakota, Greenway Project; began to investigate the feasibility of implementing aquifer storage and recovery, an artificial groundwater recharge technique, for the Red River Basin; completed water audits of a potato processing facility and the hog farrowing facility mentioned previously; continued to monitor groundwater quality in the vicinity of the hog farrowing facility to protect nearby groundwater resources; continued facilitation and coordination of a surface water biological monitoring work group for regulators and researchers working in the Red River Basin; began an evaluation of odor neutralizing/masking products for a Red River Valley beet sugar refinery comparing the relative effectiveness of the products in mitigating odors from wastewater storage ponds; and continued to provide coordination of a storm water focus group formed to foster the development of partnerships and sharing among the Red River
Valley entities affected by new Phase II storm water regulations and to identify and/or develop best management strategies appropriate for the extremely flat topography of this area. All activities associated with this project were ongoing as of the end of the progress period. A final report of project accomplishments, results, and findings is scheduled to be completed by the date of the next stakeholder annual meeting, slated for March 20, 2001.
Impacts
In March 1996, the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) established a partnership between the USDA, state and local agencies, and several of the municipalities and agricultural industries that rely on the water resources of the Red River Basin to survive and grow. The objective of the partnership is to provide stakeholders with the technical information they need to make prudent water management decisions and provide a forum for them to exchange knowledge. This partnership, the RRWMC, was established with an ultimate goal of developing a long-term watershed management strategy for the Red River Basin. The approach taken in forming the RRWMC was to invite major municipal, industrial, and rural entities from throughout the region with a vested interest in water resource issues to join in directing a technology-based research and planning effort that encompasses the entire basin. Yearly work plans are developed on the basis of pressing issues in the basin and
input from the RRWMC members. The RRWMC provides its members with the information they need to make decisions in the context of the latest scientific data and a basinwide perspective and seeks to give its members all of the tools needed to develop their own water management strategies. The success of the program is reflected in the steady growth of the RRWMC over its 4+ years of operation.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
|
|