Douglas County Water Quality Legacy Fund

Our Lakes-Our Future

This Fund will help to protect and improve surface water and groundwater quality and quantity in Douglas County, Minnesota. It will work to ensure bountiful, clean water for drinking and other uses, habitat, and recreational activities for generations to come.

Click to learn more about Our Lakes-Our Future

Background: A local water quality committee with a broad membership was formed to determine how best to develop a legacy fund to provide matching money for water quality grants.  Here are the members of this initial committee:

•      Danielle Anderson, Water Planner, Douglas County Soil & Water Conservation

•      Dean Beck, Area Fisheries Supervisor, MN DNR at Glenwood

•      Jan Beliveau, President, Douglas County Lakes Association

•      Leah Hall, Headwaters Project Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy

•      Jerry Haggenmiller, District Manager, Douglas County Soil & Water Conservation

•      Steve Henry, Water Quality Committee Chair, Douglas County Lakes Association

•      Linda McFann, Secretary, Douglas County Lakes Association

•      Tara Ostendorf, Board Conservationist, Central Region, MN Board of Water & Soil Resources

•      Gene Rose, Vice President, Douglas County Lakes Association

•      Dave Rush, Director, Land and Resources Management for Douglas County

•      Jim Stratton, Douglas County Board of Commissioners

 

Objective: Develop a legacy fund to provide matching money for water quality grants

 

Conclusion: We formed a West Central Initiative (WCI) Component Fund to accept private and public funds

  • Provides 501(c)(3) status
  • Manages funds (bookkeeping, IRS, investing, etc.)
  • Provides help with fund raising and marketing

Douglas County Water Quality Legacy Fund Committees

Two committees evaluate potential projects to be supported by the Douglas County Water Quality Fund:

1.  An Advisory Committee formed by the Douglas County Lakes Association that will select projects to

support from those recommended by the Technical Committee

2. A Technical Committee formed by the Advisory Committee that will evaluate project proposals for

feasibility and their match of funding priorities

Advisory Committee Representatives

•     Greg Bowen, Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

•     Mike Cleary, Douglas County Soil & Water Conservation District

•     Steve Henry, Douglas County Lakes Association

•     John Ledermann, Minnesota Corn Growers Association

•     Jerry Rapp, Douglas County Board of Commissioners

•     Jay Sieling, Douglas County Lakes Association

•     Emily Siira, Area Hydrologist, MN DNR

•     Kayli Overland, The Nature Conservancy

•     Mike Weber, Community Development Director, Alexandria MN

 

Technical Committee Representatives

•     Danielle Anderson, Douglas County Soil & Water Conservation District

•     Dean Beck, MN Department of Natural Resources

•     Scott Henderson, Sauk River Watershed

•     Kayli Overland, The Nature Conservancy

•     Ross Reiffenberger, NRC, Consulting Engineer

•     Dave Rush, Douglas County Land and Resources

•     Pete Sanberg, Wideth, Smith, Nolting, Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, and Environmental Services, City of Alexandria

•     Emily Siira, Area Hydrologist, MN DNR

 

 

Eligibility Requirements for Grants

To be eligible for consideration of funding, the proposed project is considered acceptable when it is consistent with the following criteria:

  •      It will not jeopardize the continued existence of any threatened or endangered species or result in the destruction or modification of the critical habitat of any such species.
  •      The project minimizes any negative impacts on the natural environment, while addressing existing cultural resources.
  •      It has a clear and direct water quality benefit.
  •      It produces public, not just private benefits.
  •      It is financially and technically feasible.

Financial Feasibility: A project is financially feasible if sufficient funds can be made available to complete the project. Each applicant shall submit a project budget identifying the nature and amount of each source of funds to be used for the project; a schedule indicating when such funds will be received; and a schedule indicating when the funds available will be expended for project purposes.

Technical Feasibility: A project that is structural in nature shall be considered technically feasible when it can and will be designed, constructed, and operated to accomplish the purpose(s) for which it was planned, utilizing accepted engineering and other technical concepts. A project that is nonstructural in nature shall be considered technically feasible when it can and will be designed and carried out to accomplish the purpose(s) for which it was planned.

 

Proposals that will have lower priorities or will not be supported are those that would:

  •  Provide direct assistance to regulatory programs.
  •  Relieve private liability for damage or provide assistance to projects in order to relieve such liability. For purposes of this section, “private liability” shall mean liability to a person or entity and shall include fines or penalties imposed by a governmental entity.

If you have questions, contact us at DouglasWaterQualityFund@gmail.com.

 

Douglas County Water Quality Legacy Fund Grant Application

Grant Application Form

Send completed application to:

DCLA, PO Box 1121, Alexandria, MN 56308

or email to DouglasWaterQualityFund@gmail.com.