Lower Pipestem Creek Watershed
Project Information

What is a Watershed?

A watershed is an area of land that drains into a water body such as a lake or river. Watershed boundaries are a ridge or line of highest elevation. The stream or lake is where surface waters collect and flow towards the watershed outlet.

Why a project based on a Watershed Area?

Implemented Best Management Practices (BMP’s) have a greater overall effect on stream water quality, when based on a watershed area. Manageable levels of water quality are achieved in a shorter time period. Cost-share programs have better focus.

Watershed Staff

Lower Pipestem Creek Watershed Board

Loren Patrie, Don Hofmann, Alvin Exner, Tim Schuster, Gloria Jones, Bernie Wanzek

(not pictured: Curtiss Klein, Randi Suckut, Jerry Becker)

Who can participate?

Any producer with land where water drains into Pipestem Creek (from the outlet of Lake Hiawatha at Sykeston to the Pipestem’s confluence with the James River) may be eligible for project assistance.

Funding:

The Lower Pipestem Creek Watershed Project is funded through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. The Stutsman, Foster, and Wells County Soil Conservation Districts have formed an alliance to work together to improve water quality within the counties on a watershed basis. The funding, granted from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDH), will be used to provide cost-share assistance to producers willing to implement Best Management Practices on their land. The program is completely voluntary.

Lower Pipestem Creek Watershed Project Objectives

1) Grazing Systems Management

2) Residue Management

3) Management of Livestock

Concentration Areas

4) Riparian Area Improvement

These goals will be accomplished by providing financial and technical assistance to farmers, ranchers and landowners for implementation of Best Management Practices and Conservation Planning

Grazing Systems Management

Managing a grazing system properly, or developing one for your operation, has a dual benefit: improvement in conservation and improvement in production (meaning more money in the pocket after animals have been sold). Proper grazing management minimizes runoff from pasture and rangeland within the watershed by allowing a greater infiltration rate, thereby increasing plant production. Overgrazing results in increased runoff and erosion. Reduction in runoff amounts improves water quality

Feedlot Updates

The Watershed Project can also provide cost-share for updates to animal feeding operations. These updates can include improved fencing, concrete heavy use areas, concrete feeding pads, settling ponds, dirty water diversions, dikes, relocation, grading and reshaping of feedlot area.

Ag-Waste Updates substantially benefit both a producer’s bottom line and conservation efforts.

Residue Management

There are several advantages to a no-till operation:

As with any choice there can be drawbacks such as higher herbicide costs, greater required weed knowledge, dangers of late spring frosts, and roughness of fields. But, through learning about how to minimize these drawbacks, farmers who use no-till consider them minor compared to the long-term benefits.

Benefits to water quality:

By leaving crop residue on the field, the amount of sediment, nutrients and pesticides that enter water bodies are minimized. Crop residue slows the runoff from a field to surface waters during spring runoff or spring/summer storm events.

The Lower Pipestem Creek Watershed Project can help.

The watershed project can provide technical assistance to develop conservation plans for your farming operation. The watershed project can provide financial assistance to implement Best Management Practices.

Lower Pipestem Creek Watershed Cost-Share Practices

* Cost share assistance for these

Best Management Practices

are based on actual costs.

NCP = Non cost-shared practice