Wright County backs submission of Mississippi River–St. Cloud watershed plan that could unlock roughly $1 million

The Wright County Board on Nov. 19 authorized policy‑committee representatives to forward a draft Mississippi River–St. Cloud comprehensive watershed management plan to the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, a move staff said will make roughly $1 million available for implementation.

Lisha O’Hare, water resource specialist with the Soil and Water Conservation District, said she has worked with state and local partners for two years to prepare the plan and requested authorization for the policy committee to submit the final draft. “The plan is now complete as a draft” and, she said, submission to the Board of Water and Soil Resources is the next step to access funding and begin implementation next summer.

Commissioner Dietrich thanked Soil and Water and partner entities, saying the county had learned from other watershed efforts and that it was good to see funding now available after earlier plans lacked resources. The board approved authorization for submission by voice vote and recorded the motion as unanimous.

O’Hare said a public hearing on the draft will be held Nov. 5 at 11:00 a.m. at the Sherburne History Center (as announced in packet materials), and staff said final state approval of the plan would trigger access to the implementation funds.

The authorization directs policy‑committee representatives to complete final submission to the state Board of Water and Soil Resources; staff indicated they expect to begin implementing plan actions in summer 2025 once state approval and funding are in place.