Water Resource Management on Three States Research Paper

  

Description

I have attached the requirements for the Paper. I have also attached the example For Minnesota state. Minimum of 1 page for each states.

AHS 438/ENVE 499: Water Resource Management
State Water Agencies Assignment
Due to D2L: 11 am Monday, February 15 2021
Spring 2021
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the types of water‐ related activities done at the state level by governmental and non‐
governmental organizations (NGOs).
2. Compile and communicate findings in a written and oral report.
3. Analyze class‐reported data for trends related to climate, population, history, or water law for
various regions of the United States.
Assignment: Each student will choose 3 states in the U.S. For each of your three states, create an organized
memo‐style report summarizing your information. Post the copies in the D2L Discussion “State Water
Assignment” so they can be available to all. Submit a separate file for each state. We will use a map and work
as a group to look for trends in the information during class. You will each briefly describe what you found for
each of your states as a short presentation starting Monday, February 15, 2021.
Memo‐style Report: ~1 page per state, paragraphs or bullet points, well written, and concise.
1. State Setting  what is availability and condition of water in that state? What geographic or
demographic conditions or history impacts these factors? What special water resource issues in the
state?
2. Governmental Water Structure  What state agencies, departments, or other organizations deal with
water? Are the federal agencies directly involved?
3. Minor Players what are some of the minor or local governmental bodies?
Types of Activities
ï‚·
ï‚·
ï‚·
ï‚·
ï‚·
ï‚·
Monitoring & Reporting  water quality, water levels, discharge, wastewater
Regulation  rule‐making & permitting
Assistance  grants, technical assistance, data bases, education, soil or water conservation,
Management  water supply, irrigation districts, floods, metropolitan or multicounty districts
Protection  well head or source water protection, contaminant clean‐up, drinking water standards,
public water supply, emergency response
Cooperative  river compacts, lake compacts, river corridors
Types of Resources
ï‚· groundwater
ï‚· surface water
ï‚· wastewater
ï‚· lakes
ï‚· rivers
ï‚· coastal waters
ï‚· irrigation facilities
ï‚· pollution
SUBJECT: Minnesota State Water Agencies
SUMMARY
The state of Minnesota is a region of abundant surface water with its many lakes, rivers, and
wetlands, including a border with the North Shore of Lake Superior. Because of extensive
surface water bodies, a unique water management challenge Minnesota faces is shoreline
protection. Loss of native wetlands is another issue faced by Minnesota. The major land-use type
in the state is agriculture, with the Twin Cities being the only major urban area in the state.1,2
STATE GOVERNMENTAL WATER STRUCTURES
There are at least four state agencies that play a key role in the management of Minnesota’s
water resources. The fundamental activities as they relate to water resources are as follows:
•
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency3
1) Pollution control: emergency response to oil and hazardous material spills and site
remediation/redevelopment of landfills, superfund sites, and brownfields.
2) Rulemaking and permitting: creating state water quality standards, monitoring water
quality under the Clean Water Act, creating rules and permitting for stormwater, and
wastewater discharges and biosolids.
3) Monitoring and reporting surface water conditions.
•
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources1
1) Public Waters Protection: permitting wells and waterworks impacting public waters.
2) State Floodplain Management Program: administrator for National Flood Insurance
Program-Minnesota.
3) Inform decision-making: groundwater monitoring, houses the State Climatologist
office, and hosts online tools such as “LakeFinder”.
4) Cooperative/Advisory Programs: Great Lakes Compact, L. Superior Coastal Program,
Mississippi River Corridor, Wetland Program, and Wild and Scenic River.
•
Minnesota Department of Health4
1) Maintain County Well Index
2) Wells and Drilling oversight: inspect, monitor, and issue licenses.
3) Drinking Water Protection: community and non-community public water supply via
water quality.
•
Minnesota Department of Agriculture2
1) Water and soil conservation assistance
2) Pesticide Monitoring: surface water and groundwater monitoring.
SELECT LOCAL WATER MANAGEMENT BODIES
A select number of active local water management entities in Minnesota are featured below.
These are groups that are not originating from the federal or Minnesota state-level, but impact
water management decisions/processes.
•
Board of Soil and Water Resources5
1) Direct: Soil Water Conservation Districts and Watershed Districts in the state of
Minnesota and allocate grant money.
2) Administer Wetland Conservation Act
•
Metropolitan Council6
1) Water supply: planning, monitoring, and provider of joint services
2) Ensure environmental compliance within Twin Cities
3) Wastewater treatment
DISCUSSION
In addition to federal water resource management entities, the state of Minnesota has state and
local-level governing bodies to help tailor management strategies to the specific needs of the
state. Many of these agencies have a connection to agriculture as that is the primary land-use of
the state and brings with it a myriad of water supply and quality issues. The shear amount of
surface water in the state also warrants the added oversight, support, and regulation brought by
these non-federal groups.
REFERENCES
[1] Minnesota DNR. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/index.html (accessed on February 8,
2021)
[2] Water Protection, MN Department of Agriculture.
https://www.mda.state.mn.us/protecting/waterprotection (accessed on February 8, 2021)
[3] Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. https://www.pca.state.mn.us/about (accessed on
February 8, 2021)
[4] Water and Health, MN Department of Health. https://www.health.state.mn.us/water/
(accessed on February 8, 2021)
[5] MN Board ow water, Soil Resources. https://bwsr.state.mn.us/counties (accessed on February
8, 2021)
[6] Wastewater & Water – Metropolitan Council. https://metrocouncil.org/WastewaterWater.aspx (accessed on February 8, 2021)

Purchase answer to see full
attachment