Agricultural Best Management Practice (BMP) Assessment and Tracking Tool

Agricultural Water Management Regulatory and Permitting Solutions and Software Development Stormwater

The vision of this project was to bring information on agricultural best management practices (BMPs) to Minnesota’s water resource professionals.

Background

As of 2012, the list of impaired waters from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) showed more than 2,100 waterbodies with concerning water quality. Plans to address these issues relied heavily on the use of best management practices (BMPs), specifically placed in agricultural areas.

The Project

The vision of this project was to bring information on agricultural BMPs to Minnesota’s water resource professionals. The project included four main components:

A comprehensive database of information related to agricultural BMPs and their application toward cleaner waters in Minnesota.
A web-based BMP assessment tool that can be used to design BMP scenarios and their anticipated impact.
A web-based BMP tracking tool for tracking the implementation of BMPs and storing information relating to their use.
A website devoted to agricultural BMPs in Minnesota that provides a publicly accessible platform to access each of the tools’ components.

The BMP database is updated with new data entries on both BMP effectiveness and implementation. Reports can be created with information housed within the database. Overall this project provides improved information to select and design agricultural BMPs, resulting in cost savings for participants and more effective installations on the field. It also improves the ability to communicate the role of these BMPs in the larger goal of clean Minnesota waters, encouraging stakeholders to participate in voluntary programs.

Improved ability to select/design agricultural BMPs, resulting in cost savings and more effective installations in the field.
Publicly accessible resource devoted to agricultural BMPs for use in improving and protecting Minnesota’s water quality.
Resource for educating the public on the use and characteristics of BMPs and a forum for sharing information among water quality professionals, providing opportunities for learning and encouraging collaboration.
Improved ability to communicate the role of agricultural BMPs in the larger goal of clean Minnesota waters, encouraging stakeholders to participate in voluntary programs.

Project Details

Client: Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Location: Statewide Minnesota

Project Highlights

Improved ability to select/design agricultural BMPs, resulting in cost savings and more effective installations in the field.
Publicly accessible resource devoted to agricultural BMPs for use in improving and protecting Minnesota’s water quality.
Resource for educating the public on the use and characteristics of BMPs and a forum for sharing information among water quality professionals, providing opportunities for learning and encouraging collaboration.
Improved ability to communicate the role of agricultural BMPs in the larger goal of clean Minnesota waters, encouraging stakeholders to participate in voluntary programs.