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REP. MILLER ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF DNR BUFFER MAPS

Friday, July 15, 2016

ST. PAUL – Farmers and rural landowners who questioned if they would be impacted by Minnesota’s new buffer law now have some answers according to State Representative Tim Miller (R-Prinsburg) as the Department of Natural Resources has released its map of public waters and public ditches requiring buffer strips.

“I strongly encourage farmers to check out the maps as soon as possible to make sure things are accurate,” Miller said.

Miller said the map, which can be viewed online at http://arcgis.dnr.state.mn.us/gis/buffersviewer/, shows landowners and local governments the public ditches requiring 16.5 foot buffers, the public waters requiring 50 foot buffers, and a few sites labeled as “needs field review,” which will be resolved in a future map update.

Miller said the DNR anticipates receiving additional comments as implementation begins. Therefore, it plans to release map updates in October and January, which will provide a process for reviewing and processing any final corrections.

With the release of the map, the project now turns to implementation by the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs), and other local governments, who will work with landowners on any questions about buffers or alternative water quality practices.

“I urge any resident that has problems or concerns with these buffer maps to contact me, and I’ll be more than happy to help guide them through this process,” Miller said.

Rep. Miller can be reached at rep.tim.miller@house.mn or at 651-296-4228.