1. Climate Change, Ag-
Drainage & Water
Storage in Minnesota
JOE MAGNER*, GARY SANDS*, & JOHN KOLB^
*BIOPRODUCTS & BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, ST. PAUL , MN
^RINKE NOONAN LAW FIRM, ST. CLOUD, MINNESOTA
4. Embeddedness
None [5] 5 to 15% Light 25-50% [3] 14
Moderate 50-75%
Severe 75-100% [-
1]
No coarse
substrate [0]
Percent to which
coarse substrates
are surrounded by
by or covered with
fine sediments
throughout the
reach. A few
scattered coarse
particles
surrounded by
sands not rated.
Check if coarse
substrates are
overlain with fine
substrates.
5. MN Statutes Chapter 103E
MN Law requires an Adequate Outlet
An inadequate outlet allows for downstream environmental and aquatic damage
Excessive sediment and nutrient transport leading to eutrophication and the loss of habitat.
Channel enlargement – bank and bed erosion
Sediment deposition in spawning riffles and filling of pools
6. MPCA’s Watershed Program
Ten-year rotating 8-HUC watershed size
Biological - Index of Biological Integrity (IBI)
Chemical - DO, pH, Temp, Pesticides, TSS,
Nutrients
Physical – Habitat, Altered Drainage
Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy
(WRAPS) Report & One Watershed One Plan
10. “the river is the carpenter of
its own edifice” (Leopold, 1994)
I S T H E R E A R E L A T I O N S H I P B E T W E E N
C H A N N E L F O R M A N D D R A I N A G E A R E A ?
12. Quasi-dynamic equilibrium
There is a direct relationship between Drainage Area (DA) and Channel Cross-
Sectional Area (X-SA).
For a given climate, geology, land use a channel X-SA will adjust to find quasi-
dynamic equilibrium with respect to the contributing DA.
So, we know the climate is changing, what about geology?
13. Geology is
Fixed!
Adding more water
upon fixed geology will
create new pathways of
water movement!
OR…enlarge existing
pathways.
17. We measure Precipitation using
30-year moving averages
Technical Term = STATIONARITY
The statistical
◦ mean,
◦ variance, and
◦ covariance stay constant.
An example: Background noise of the universe,
Non-example: Daily stock market
20. MN Statutes 103F.05
“Water quality and storage practices" means those practices that sustain or improve water quality via surface
water rate and volume and ecological management, including but not limited to:
1) retention structures and basins;
2) acquisition of flowage rights;
3) soil and substrate infiltration;
4) wetland restoration, creation, or enhancement;
5) channel restoration or enhancement; and
6) floodplain restoration or enhancement.
21. Can both improved Ag-
drainage and Water storage
be accomplished with
increased precipitation?