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SWCD’s poised to help during Buffer Rule phase-in

ian-cunningham

The president of the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) says they are well-positioned to assist landowners during implementation of the Buffer Rule.

Ian Cunningham says Governor Dayton’s original proposal nearly two years ago of 50 foot buffers around all public waters in the state came up suddenly and caught many off-guard.

“The Governor’s vision was to have (the Buffer Rule) administered from St. Paul through statewide agencies.  As he traveled around the state, he heard over and over again that people trusted SWCD’s and would rather work with local people.”

The Buffer Law was signed into law in June 2015 and amended this year to require a 50 foot average width and minimum of 30 feet around all public waters.

While SWCD’s have no regulatory authority, Cunningham says the districts are created in statute to work with private landowners to help address resource concerns.

“When the buffer issue came up and people were heaping praise on SWCD’s and how much they enjoyed working with local people in their own communities, the state of Minnesota stepped up with a significant investment to enhance local conservation delivery capacity.”

The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources will be enforcing the Buffer Rule, with compliance for public waters required by November first, 2017 and public ditches the following year.

Brownfield spoke to Cunningham during the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts annual meeting and trade show in Minneapolis.

 

 

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