About GLBP Funded Projects in Minnesota

Approximately 70,000 tons of soil erode each year from the Minnesota Lake Superior shoreline alone, causing economic and environmental losses and damages. To address this problem, since 1991 the Great Lakes Basin Program has supported 14 soil erosion and sediment control projects in Minnesota totaling over $424,000, with an additional $140,000 being leveraged from non-federal sources.

Minnesota projects have focused primarily on lakeshore/shoreline erosion problems associated with Lake Superior's highly erodible clay soils. Many of those projects have developed institutional capacity to manage these erosion problems. Over 43 acres are under some form of soil erosion and sediment control, thereby preventing the loss of over 58,500 tons of soil annually. Benefits include improved water clarity and nearshore fish spawning habitat.

Public information and education programs have been an important component of the Minnesota effort, targeting key stakeholders groups such as developers, landowners, school children and government agency personnel. Projects have used newspapers and newsletters as the vehicles for disseminating effective soil erosion and sediment control information.