City of Goodhue's
Drinking Water Supply Management Area (DWSMA) Project

The City of Goodhue has been witness to increasing Nitrate levels in their municipal well supply over the past few decades. Elevated Nitrates in the drinking water surrounding Goodhue are becoming more and more common as landowners become aware of the issue. Nitrate levels over 10.0 mg/L can be harmful to humans which can cause methoglobinemia, which can cause certain health conditions and Blue Baby Syndrome. Ingesting excessive Nitrates can basically effect the way your blood can carry oxygen throughout your body. Currently, the City of Goodhue's Nitrate level is around 7 mg/L, which is still safe under the EPA guidelines. However, the quarterly samples collected by City staff has shown a trend that appears to be rising at a rate that warrants a proactive approach to the problem. In 2022, the City requested that the Goodhue County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) apply for State level funding to help landowners, who farm within the DWSMA (MAP), adopt conservation practices that help slow the leaching of Nitrogen to our drinking water supply. Luckily, the Goodhue SWCD received this funding in Jan of 2023 on behalf of the City. In March of 2023, the City of Goodhue, Goodhue SWCD, and many of the landowners in the DSWMA met at AgPartner's in Goodhue to discuss Nitrates and what options are available for landowners interested in helping out. Below are details about funding opportunities to offset landowner(s) cost of implementing some of these conservation practices, who to contact, and a map of the DWSMA indicating who is doing what to help with the Nitrate issue

How's the Project Coming along?????

Since March of 2023, landowners in the DWSMA of Goodhue have taken massive efforts to improve the soil health and reduce nitrogen leaching to the groundwater. They have enrolled over 1000 acre into soil health programs as seen below.

Use the map to simply zoom into fields in the DWSMA to see what landowners are implementing to do their part in reducing the Nitrate levels in the City's drinking water supply

The SWCD has funding to help landowners start using Soil Conservation Practices in the DWSMA. Here is a breakdown...

Landowners would need to enroll in 1 or more of the primary practices to be eligible for the secondary incentives. Please contact the staff at the Goodhue SWCD with questions. If you have or are thinking about a complex cropping rotation, let us know, we may be able to help out with cost-share.