In early 2014, planning partners in the Root River watershed area joined together to submit a nomination to pilot the One Watershed, One Plan in the Root River Watershed. In June, 2014, the Root River was selected as one of the five major watersheds across the state to pilot this program.
In December, 2016, the Root River One Watershed, One Plan was approved by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), and was adopted by all 13 Local Government Unit (LGU) partners in 2017.
The Root River One Watershed, One Plan (RR 1W1P) is a 10-year planning document aimed at better managing water within a larger watershed planning area. The document is the product of two years of LGU’s in the planning area working collaboratively with stakeholders, state agencies and community members. Minnesota’s One Watershed, One Plan initiative is designed to align water planning on major watershed boundaries with prioritized, targeted and measurable watershed plans developed and implemented locally. The five pilot programs have pioneered Minnesota’s water future, setting the groundwork to permanently improve water quality across the state. As of May, 2022, there are 26 watersheds across Minnesota with an approved One Watershed, One Plan.
The RR 1W1P planning area encompasses more than 1.3 million acres, which is spread across 6 counties: Dodge, Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted and Winona. It includes the entire Root River Watershed along with Minnesota’s portion of the Upper Iowa River Watershed, and Houston County’s Mississippi-Reno Watershed. The 13 LGU’s involved in the RR 1W1P are:
In 2023, the RR 1W1P reached the midpoint in its 10-year plan lifespan.
After six years of plan implementation, the Partnership is again piloting a new process to evaluate implementation efforts and assess progress toward plan measurable goals. The intent of the 5-Year Assessment of the RR 1W1P was to:
- Gather and compile data about work activities (projects, practices, or programs) implemented by local government implementers and their partners that contributed to reaching goals in the plan;
- Compare the work activities (projects, practices, or programs) the Partnership completed with the work activities they set out to accomplish in the time frame specified by the plan;
- Compare the resource results associated with projects, practices, or programs to the stated resource goals/outcomes in the plan.
The process and outcomes from the 5-Year Assessment are summarized in the following reports:
The Root River begins as a drainage ditch near Grand Meadow and continues eastward through stunning geologic diversity, including glacial till, karst topography, and bluffland karst , before emptying into the Mississippi River near Hokah.
View how groundwater moves in southeast Minnesota’s:
Karst, a major geologic feature of the RR 1W1P’s planning, is like the Swiss cheese of rock,
characterized by abundant sinkholes, caverns and underground waterways.
As water flows through karst, it mixes surface water and groundwater, meaning pollutants on land can easily reach groundwater used for drinking. It is a strong example of the need for watershed-based comprehensive water management.
Fillmore SWCD serves as both the fiscal agent of the RR 1W1P grant
as well as the day-to-day contact for administration and coordination of the grant.
If you have any questions regarding the plan, please contact Nikki Wheeler at 507-887-0240, or nikki.wheeler@fillmoreswcd.org.
Meetings and Reports
RR 1W1P Policy Committee
A Policy Committee, made up of elected officials, has the primary role of making final decisions about the content of the watershed plan and its submittal to and approval by BWSR. The Policy Committee and the members’ respective boards approved Joint Powers Agreement in 2017 to continue to operate cooperatively and collaboratively, but not as a separate entity, for the purpose of continued planning of, review of, advising on, and coordinating the implementation of the RR 1W1P.
February 26, 2024 | Agenda | |
November 27, 2023 | Agenda | Minutes |
August 28, 2023 | Agenda | Minutes |
May 22, 2023 | Agenda | Minutes |
January 30, 2023 | Agenda | Minutes |
September 26, 2022 | Agenda | Minutes |
June 27, 2022 | Agenda | Minutes |
March 21, 2022 | Agenda | Minutes |
December 20, 2021 (No quorum present) | Agenda | Notes |
September 20, 2021 | Agenda | Minutes |
June 21, 2021 | Agenda | Minutes |
February 22, 2021 | Agenda | Minutes |
November 23, 2020 | Agenda | Minutes |
August 24, 2020 | Agenda | Minutes |
June 22, 2020 | Agenda | Minutes |
February 24, 2020 | Agenda | Minutes |
January 9, 2020 | Agenda | Minutes |
February 28, 2019 | Agenda | Minutes |
November 28, 2018 | Agenda | Minutes |
June 11, 2018 | Agenda | Minutes |
January 29, 2018 | Agenda | Minutes |
August 28, 2017 | Agenda | Minutes |
March 20, 2017 | Agenda | Minutes |
December 19, 2016 | Agenda | Minutes |
September 26, 2019 | Agenda | Minutes |
June 13, 2016 | Agenda | Minutes |
April 11, 2016 | Agenda | Minutes |
January 4, 2016 | Agenda | Minutes |
November 30, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
November 2, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
August 31, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
July 6, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
June 3, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
May 4, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
April 6, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
March 2, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
January 21, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
RR 1W1P Advisory Committee
The purpose of an Advisory Committee is to make recommendations to the Policy Committee regarding identification of priority resources and targeted implementation for protecting and restoring water resources.
May 1, 2023 | ||
October 18, 2021 | Agenda | Notes |
November 4, 2019 | Agenda | Minutes |
March 19, 2019 | Agenda | Minutes |
November 13, 2018 | Agenda | Minutes |
March 20, 2018 | Agenda | Minutes |
July 19, 2017 | Agenda | Minutes |
March 9, 2017 | Agenda | Minutes |
October 19, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
August 21, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
June 30, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
April 29, 2015 | Agenda | Minutes |
RR 1W1P Planning Work Group
The purpose of the Planning Work Group is to: develop the annual workplan and present it to the Policy Committee for approval; to collaboratively develop, review and submit a Biennial Budget Request from the RR 1W1P to BWSR, and; to provide the Policy Committee with an annual update on the progress of implementation.
May 1, 2023 | ||
April 11, 2023 | ||
December 9, 2022 | Agenda | Notes |
October 12, 2022 | Agenda | |
August 23, 2022 | Agenda | |
July 29, 2022 | Agenda | Notes |
June 6, 2022 | Agenda | Notes |
March 14, 2022 | Agenda | Notes |
February 15, 2022 | Agenda | Notes |
November 30, 2021 | Agenda | Notes |
September 14, 2021 | Agenda | Notes |
July 14, 2021 | Agenda | Notes |
February 1, 2021 | Agenda | Notes |
November 10, 2020 | Agenda | Notes |
September 1, 2020 | Agenda | Notes |
August 6, 2020 | Agenda | Notes |
June 15, 2020 | Agenda | Notes |
May 26, 2020 | Agenda | Notes |
February 20, 2020 | Agenda | Notes |
November 18, 2021 | Agenda | Notes |
October 21, 2018 | Agenda | Notes |
August 29, 2018 | Agenda | Notes |
July 18, 2018 | Agenda | Notes |
March 19, 2019 | Agenda | Notes |
October 23, 2018 | Agenda | Notes |
August 29, 2018 | Agenda | Notes |
June 11, 2018 | Agenda | Notes |
May 22, 2018 | Agenda | Notes |
April 24, 2018 | Agenda | Notes |
February 21, 2018 | Agenda | |
January 9, 2018 | Agenda | Notes |
November 28, 2017 | Agenda | Notes |
July 10, 2017 | Agenda | |
May 22, 2017 | Agenda | Notes |
February 27, 2017 | Agenda | Notes |
August 8, 2016 | Agenda | Notes |
May 17, 2016 | Agenda | Notes |
January 4, 2016 | Agenda | Notes |
November 30, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
November 2, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
October 19, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
September 4, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
August 21, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
August 5, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
July 20, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
July 6, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
June 3, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
May 4, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
April 6, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
March 17, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
March 2, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
February 13, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
January 21, 2015 | Agenda | Notes |
December 11, 2014 | Agenda | Notes |
November 20, 2014 | Agenda | Notes |
October 22, 2014 | Agenda | Notes |
September 24, 2014 | Agenda | Notes |
August 27, 2014 | Agenda | Notes |
July 23, 2014 | Agenda |
State and Federal Programs