The U.S. Department of Interior is sending $200,000 to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway to help protect water quality as part of funding being made available to national parks through the Centennial Challenge, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced Thursday.
The money to be matched by a $200,000 grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Metropolitan Council will be used to develop a computer model to help authorities achieve nutrient and phosphorous loading reduction goals for the St. Croix River, said Spokeswoman Kate Hanson.
The riverway has a goal of reducing nutrient and phosphorus loading by 20 percent in the next two decades to maintain water quality that supports fishing, boating, camping, canoeing, other recreational opportunities, and the river’s scenic beauty, said Riverway superintendent Tom Bradley.
The grant comes as the lower 25 miles of the St. Croix Riverway was named this year by Minnesota and Wisconsin as not meeting the Clean Water Act standards for phosphorous and chlorophyll.
Additionally the federally-protected river landed on a list of polluted waters.
Along with the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, Kempthorne announced that more than $50 million will be allocated for 109 other projects at national parks this year. Of that, $24.6 million are federal funds and nearly $27 million will come from philanthropic contributions.
President Bush’s National Park Centennial Initiative announced in 2006 uses federal funds and matching philanthropic contributions to benefit the national parks between now and the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.