The Daily News

Water quality in Wilkin County may be boosted by a new Minnesota sales tax effective Wednesday that funds environment and art projects over the next 25 years.

Any grant dollars gained from the 3/8 cent sales tax will likely be focused on water quality and quantity issues here, said Don Bajumpaa, district manager for Wilkin County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD).

"But we're not looking just solely at the types of things we can do to help mitigate and reduce those problems," he said.

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Many of the projects the SWCD is seeking will act as double agents, such as a buffer strip that primarily improves water quality but also helps wildlife, he said. But the length of time needed by the state to appropriate the money, combined with a high number of requests, may make the process a slow one.

"It's a competitive process," he said. "Not everybody's going to get a check."

Bajumpaa anticipates he will get a request for proposals this fall, as it would give the state's wildlife and water council a chance to evaluate enough requests before the next legislative session begins in February.

"Ultimately, where the money goes and how it is spent eventually falls in the lap of the state legislative people," he said. "It's their decision."

The SWCD is in the process of formulating its own applications now. Although the district is forced to alter its requests to fit the common needs of the state, Bajumpaa said it's well worth it. Prior to the establishment of the new law, a grant program similar to the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment doled out nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to its recipients. But the amount available varied year to year and there was never a dedicated source of funding, he said.

"In the past, it's been frustrating for me to prepare our budget and obtain funds to help us implement conservation activities here," he said. "[The new law] helps us as local planners to really look forward and focus on what the immediate needs are."

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