The Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board exists to help sustain the quality of life in the nine counties of Southeastern Minnesota by improving and protecting the water resources through coordination of local water planning efforts.
The Board recognizes that the impacts on the shared watersheds in our sensitive karst region span political boundaries and that increased efficiency, productivity, and creativity can be gained through regional cooperation.
The Board will seek to accomplish this mission by recognizing that all aspects of the natural and man-made environment are interrelated and will therefore ultimately impact water quality.
To realize its mission, the Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board will employ the following strategies:
- Recognize the value of leadership provided by local citizens, officials, and staff members.
- Educate new members as to the mission, goals, and accomplishments of the organization.
- Through regularly scheduled meetings and on-going collaboration provide a forum for citizens, elected officials, local water planning staff, university staff and students, and state agency personnel to exchange information and new ideas as they relate to water resources.
- Lead in the effort to develop an ethic of stewardship among citizens of the region by educating citizens about water quality issues and opportunities for individual action.
- Provide a collective voice for the special environmental needs of the hydrogeologically sensitive karst region by providing direction and response to state and national initiatives.
- Identify common goals within the local water plans to determine regional needs.
- Seek funding sources to implement projects identified as regional priorities.
- Provide leadership and guidance in the local water planning process.
- Initiate and implement research projects intended to provide information to aid the decision-making process in local water planning.
- Initiate and coordinate regional water quality education projects to be implemented at the local level.
- Coordinate technical training and technical support opportunities for local water planning staff
- Develop and implement projects that demonstrate fiscal responsibility.
- Set direction for future action while remaining flexible enough to respond to new ideas and new information in water resource management.
