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Land and Water Conservation division reports 2024 progress; $796,150 Notice of Discharge grant used to fix manure storage
Summary
Dunn County Land and Water Conservation presented its 2024 annual report, described implementing ag performance standards adopted in 2021, and said it received a $796,150 notice-of-discharge grant to upgrade a pre‑2002 manure storage facility to reduce environmental risk.
Dunn County’s Land and Water Conservation Division presented its 2024 annual report to the county board and reviewed local implementation of county ag performance standards and prohibitions adopted in July 2021. The division highlighted a multi‑year effort that resulted in a state Notice of Discharge grant of $796,150 to upgrade an existing manure storage facility.
“An offer of cost share is required to be made in order to improve that system,” Division Manager Chase Cummings said. He explained the county’s amendment to local code adopted supplemental language to implement state administrative rules commonly referred to as the ag performance standards and prohibitions. Under the rules, lands or facilities that existed before February 2002 are considered existing and generally require a bona fide offer of cost share for required upgrades.
Cummings said the county applied for and received a Notice of Discharge grant after identifying a storage facility that was overtopping and potentially leaking to groundwater. “We received that award of $796,150 that went to one farm to bring their mineral storage facility up to code and comply with the ag performance standards and prohibitions,” he said.
Cummings also described other ongoing programs: watershed planning, groundwater monitoring, nonmetallic mining reclamation ordinance administration, and conservation cost‑sharing delivered on county‑administered projects. He told the board that the awarded project reduced pollutant discharge and improved the landowner’s handling of manure; the presentation included a numeric reduction claim from the project.
The board later considered a budget amendment related to environmental services and approved it as part of the meeting’s consent business. No county policy change was adopted in the presentation; the report was informational, and staff offered to return with more details on specific projects on request.
