Bullard Creek is a coldwater trout stream and one of the smallest creeks in the Mississippi River-Lake Pepin watershed. Like others, it is considered impaired for high levels of e-coli and is vulnerable to precipitation runoff and erosion. A long legacy of conservation efforts focused on water storage has protected Bullard from major erosion problems and the stream is considered to be in good condition overall. Sediment concentrations meet water quality standards, but it still carries sediment to Wacouta Bay, an area at the head of Lake Pepin that is also impacted by sediment from the Mississippi River via the Minnesota River.
Read MoreContinuous Living Cover: The new way forward
Most of our current water quality issues (40% of Minnesota waterways are impaired), including the accelerated disappearance of Lake Pepin, can be traced back to this one fundamental change in land use. That’s why scientists, water advocates, and farmers are excited about a new cropping strategy that gets to the “root” of the problem.
Continuous Living Cover (CLC) is the use of diversified crops, including new perennial and winter annuals, to provide ground cover—and hopefully, profits—throughout the entire year.
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