Agency Pollution Control Agency

Contractor Itasca County Soil and Water Conservation District

SWIFT Contract Number B41050

Project Name SWAG - 10 Big Fork River Target Watershed Assess

Project Number (if applicable) CR3309

Summarize purpose of the contract, including why it was necessary: Within the borders of Itasca County resides approximately 1000 of the state’s 12,000 lakes and approximately 1853 miles of streams/rivers. Because of its wealth of surface water and quality of life, Itasca County has become a popular destination for both tourists and individuals looking for a new area to settle or retire. This quality has created substantial increases in development pressure around its lakes and along its rivers. Itasca County recognized the value and importance of sustaining the quality of its surface waters and has taken a proactive stance in its management of them. Itasca SWCD began surface water monitoring in 1991 and by 2010 Itasca County will have 225 lakes fully assessed by state standards through its monitoring efforts and the partnership it's established with the Itasca Water Legacy Partnership and Itasca Community College. Although Itasca County has established an excellent baseline on its lakes it lacks stream data. This SWAG will help establish a baseline for streams in the Bigfork River Watershed and continue to build upon the well established lake database.

This SWAG will focus on collecting water chemistry and field parameters at the sites identified by MPCA and will support the biological assessments being completed by MPCA staff for this Target Watershed Assessment. This project is a collaborative effort with MPCA, 3 SWCDs, and the well established Bigfork River Watch Program. This application is a collaborative effort with Lake of the Woods and Koochiching County SWCDs because the Big Fork Watershed encompasses both Itasca and Koochiching Counties. Lake of the Woods SWCD will be providing guidance to Koochiching SWCD to develop a surface water monitoring program through oversight and training. This effort will continue in years to come to further upcoming Target Watershed Assessments in the Rainy River Basin.

Project Duration

Start Date Wed, 03/31/2010 - 00:00

Original end date Sat, 06/30/2012 - 00:00

Actual end date Sat, 06/30/2012 - 00:00

Did project finish on time? Yes

Total billable hours utilized (if applicable) {Empty}

Contract Amounts

Original contract: $31656.00

Amendments $0

Contract total $31656.00

Did project finish within budget? Yes

What was the funding source? 352 E710 WY2

Is this a sole source contract? No

If this was a single source contract, explain why the agency determined there was only a single source for the services (if applicable) {Empty}

Evaluator Name Louise Hotka

Evaluator Email Address louise.hotka@state.mn.us

Evaluate the contractor's timeliness Excellent

Evaluate the contractor's quality Good

Evaluate the contractor's cost Excellent

Evaluate the contractor's overall performance Good - The contracting organization representative was easy to work with to accomplish the objectives. The grantee was attentive and responsive to communications from the MPCA project manager and also clear and complete in both the nature and content of his own communications.

Would you engage the contractor's services again? Yes

Describe any negative action taken during the duration of this contract (i.e., termination, pursuit of suspension, etc.): {Empty}

Please rate the overall experience with the contractor 4 - satisfied