Almost 50 lakeshore residents from Prior and Spring Lakes recently attended a shoreline stabilization workshop held in Scott County. Many of these landowners have also moved ahead in the process to repair and strengthen their shorelines. And the best news? There is money available to help! Even if you weren’t at the workshop, it’s not too late to be considered for these funds.

The Scott Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Jordan was recently awarded a $136,000 grant to help improve water quality in the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District (PLSLWD). The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources awarded this grant, using funds from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

A significant portion of the grant is earmarked for helping private landowners on Spring and Upper Prior Lakes stabilize eroding shorelines. Help includes:

1. Assessing causes and potential solutions

2. Preparing project designs

3. Overseeing construction

4. Reimbursing project costs

Items 1 through 3 are services provided at no cost to the homeowner. Reimbursement covers up to 75 percent of the total approved construction costs.

To be eligible, the homeowner must first sign an application form and be approved by the Scott SWCD Board of Supervisors. Funds are limited, so a scoring system will be used to select the best possible projects. Priority will be given to projects that provide the greatest water quality benefit at the most economical cost.

Projects will typically include removing existing plants, rocks and other debris, grading the shoreline to a stable slope and re-landscaping using native grasses, flowers and shrubs. Hard armoring, such as rock rap-rap, may be used if these “soft,” more natural methods are determined insufficient to hold up against wave action.

This grant initiative is part of a much broader water quality program being implemented by a partnership between the PLSLWD, the City of Prior Lake, Scott County and Scott SWCD. For more details, call the Scott SWCD office, 492-5425.

Since the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment was passed by Minnesota voters in November 2008, more than $100 million has been invested in “on-the-ground” projects. Citizens and local governments have installed more than 4,100 conservation practices to improve the quality in the state’s lakes, rivers and wetlands.