Minn. gets $8.8M for conservation projects

Minnesota will receive more than $8.8 million in federal funds for conservation projects and water-quality improvements in the Mississippi River Basin.

The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, which supports the agency's continuing efforts to help landowners and farmers protect and improve water quality from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

In all, the USDA provide more than $43.2 million in financial assistance to support more than 70 existing projects in 41 eligible watersheds in 12 states. Minnesota will receive $8,831,000, the most of any state. Partner organizations participating in the initiative will contribute additional financial resrouces.

“The Mississippi River travels 2,350 miles through the heart of our nation, collecting water from 40 percent of the continental United States, including some of the most fertile and productive agricultural land in America,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release. “Through this initiative, we are partnering with farmers and landowners to implement voluntary conservation practices that avoid, control and trap potential pollutants to improve water quality throughout the selected watersheds.”

From the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal.