WATERSHEDS
WHAT IS ONE WATERSHED ONE PLAN?
Local governments have worked hard over the years to protect and restore our water resources through planning efforts within each county. In recent years, the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources encouraged local governments to partner with neighboring counties to work across jurisdictional boundaries and plan resources on a watershed wide scale. This process is called One Watershed One Plan (1W1P).
WHO IS INVOLVED?
The Rainy River-Rainy Lake 1W1P partners include Koochiching Soil & Water Conservationist District, Koochiching County, the City of International Falls, and the City of Ranier. The effort will be led by the Steering Team made up of staff from these offices. Our Policy Committee, made up of elected officials from the County and SWCD Boards will approve the content of the plan, serve as a liaison to their representative governing entities and act on behalf of their constituents. An Advisory Committee will also be formed, to provide input to the Policy Committee.
ABOUT THE LOWER RAINY AND RAINY RIVER-RAINY LAKE WATERSHEDS
Situated along Minnesota’s northern border, the Rainy River-Rainy Lake/Lower Rainy River (RR-RL) Watershed is a unique watershed compared to its neighbors. The RR-RL is known for its unique shape as well as its wetland and peatland covered landscape. The RR-RL also
contains much of Minnesota’s only National Park, Voyageurs National Park. Although the RR-RL is a sparsely populated watershed outside of International Falls, the rivers, lakes, and forests of the watershed draw residents from across the state to its pristine environment. For the purposes of the One Watershed, One Plan program (1W1P) these two watersheds are joined into one watershed, the RR-RL. These two watersheds have similar land types and deal with similar issues that can be adequately addressed as one watershed.
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
Rainy River-Rainy Lake Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan
The Rainy River-Rainy Lake Watershed Planning Partnership, including Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District, Koochiching County, City of International Falls, and the City of Ranier, is holding a Public Hearing on the draft Rainy River-Rainy Lake Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan.
The hearing will be held at 12:30 pm on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at the Koochiching County Board of Commissioners Board Room located at 715 4th St, International Falls, MN 56649.
This Plan was out for 60-day review from October 1 – November 29, 2024. An informational public meeting was also held on October 22, 2024. The purpose of this hearing is to make available the comments received during the 60-day comment period. All persons are invited to attend the hearing and submit comments, written or verbal, that will become part of the official public hearing record. These comments will be considered when making final revisions to the Plan.
A copy of the draft plan can be found at: https://koochichingswcd.org/rrrl_1w1p/. Additional comments may be submitted at the public hearing or in writing by Monday, December 16, to the Koochiching SWCD Office – 501 3rd Street, Suite 100, International Falls, MN, 56649, or via email to pam.tomevi@co.koochiching.mn.us.
For more information, please contact:
Pam Tomevi, District Administrator
Koochiching Soil & Water Conservation District
501 3rd Street, Suite 100 * International Falls, MN 56649
pam.tomevi@co.koochiching.mn.us
218-283-1174
1W1P TECHNICAL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
PROJECT PARTNERS
| Organization |
|---|
| Koochiching County |
| Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District |
| City of Ranier |
| City of International Falls |
POLICY COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
| Name | Committee Role | Organization/Role |
|---|---|---|
| Pete Kalar | Chair | City of International Falls, City Councilor |
| Destry Hell | Vice-Chair | Koochiching County, Commissioner |
| Jen Lahmayer | Secretary | City of Ranier, Councilor |
| Eldon Voigt | Member | Koochiching SWCD, Board Supervisor |
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
| Name | Organization/Role |
|---|---|
| Pam Tomevi | Koochiching SWCD, District Administrator |
| Matt Gouin | Koochiching County, Environmental Services Director |
| Sherril Gautreaux | City of Ranier, City Administrator |
| Jason Fisher | City of International Falls, Engineer (Bolton & Menk) |
| Chad Severts | Board of Water and Soil Resources, Board Conservationist |
ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
| Name | Organization/Role |
|---|---|
| Jeff Hrubes | Board of Water and Soil Resources, Clean Water Specialist |
| Margaret Wagner | Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Clean Water Technical Assistance Unit Supervisor |
| Chris Parthun | Minnesota Department of Health, Principal Planner |
| Rian Reed | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Area Hydrologist |
| Amy Mustonen | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Watershed Project Manager |
| Jody Peek | Natural Resources Conservation Services - USDA, District Conservationist - CST Leader |
| Shane Bowe | Red Lake Department of Natural Resources - Tribal, Water Resources Program Director |
| Kelly Condiff | Minnesota Department of Natural Resource, Area Hydrologist |
TOPIC MEETING EXPERTS:
| Name | Organization/Role | Mike Kennedy | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Watershed Project Manager |
|---|---|
| Dan Disrud | Minnesota Department of Heath - Source Water Protection Planner Principal |
| Kayla Bowe | Red Lake DNR - Biologist |
| Phil Talmage | MN DNR Fisheries - Area Supervisor |
| Nathan Heibel | Koochiching County Land & Forests - Land Commissioner |
| Jolen Simon | Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District - Program Coordinator |
| James Aasen | Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District - Forest Resource Specialist |
| Sam Soderman | Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District - Water Resource Specialist |
| Austin Wallin | Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District - Resource Conservationist |
| Marcie Peeters | Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District - Resource Conservationist |
| Mike Hanson | North Star Electric Cooperative |
| Phil Norvitch | North St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District - Resource Conservationist |
| Tristan Nelson | North St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District - District Forester |
| Ben West | MN DNR Forestry - Area Supervisor |
| Ryan Maki | Voyageurs National Park - Aquatic Ecologist |
| Michael Steinhauer | Natural Resources Conservation Service - District Conservationist |
| Will Lee | Natural Resources Conservation Service - Soil Conservationist |
| Tony Lenoch | Department of Natural Resources - Area Resource Specialist |
CONTRIBUTORS:
| Name | Organization/Role |
|---|---|
| Mitch Brinks | Mapping and Data Analysis, TSA 8 |
| Dain Erickson | Graphic Designer, TSA 8 |
PLAN PREPARED BY:
Houston Engineering, Inc.
7550 Meridian Circle, North, Suite 120
Maple Grove, MN 55369
PUBLIC MEETINGS
POLICY COMMITTEE MEETINGS
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Read MoreJuly 19, 2019
PAM TOMEVI
District Administrator
218-283-1174
pam.tomevi@co.koochiching.mn.us
MATT GOUIN
Environmental Services Director
218-283-1156
matt.gouin@co.koochiching.mn.us
SHERRIL GAUTREAUX
City Administrator
218-286-3311
cityofranier@frontiernet.net
JASON FISHER
Engineer (Bolton & Menk)
218-729-5939 ext. 3683
Jason.Fisher@bolton-menk.com
CHAD SEVERTS
Board Conservationist
218-770-9620
chad.severts@state.mn.us