One Watershed One Plan

This 10-year plan proposes to replace the existing water management plans for each of the nine partner organizations – all local units of government – within the Sauk River Watershed. The nine local units of government partnering for this plan are Douglas County, Douglas Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Pope County, Pope SWCD, Sauk River Watershed District, Stearns County, Stearns SWCD, Todd County and Todd SWCD. There are many reasons for engaging in a united planning effort, including but not limited to: improving conservation and protection efforts, effective partnership, eliminating duplication (real and perceived) of efforts, and engaging in focused work that is targeted and prioritized.

The plan summarizes existing scientific data about the water resources within the watershed, and proposes implementation projects, potential regulatory actions, data collection needs, and the creation of a watershed wide citizenship and targeted civic engagement and outreach program. The plan states quantifiable goals for the partners, with a vision statement of, “A resilient landscape that balances a healthy ecosystem with a vibrant economy for generations to come”. This planning effort was completed through the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) One Watershed One Plan program. The plan will provide the partners with Watershed Based Funding through BWSR, while also allowing the partners to apply for additional state and federal grant and loan funds to compliment their annual budgets and levies.

The Sauk River CWMP was written to be comprehensive in nature, and with an understanding that adaptive management will be utilized to implement the plan. A combination of funding sources and partnerships will also be used to implement the plan with a goal of providing the best protection and improvements to the water resources within the Sauk River Watershed.