2500 28th Street - PO Box 57 - Slayton, MN 56172

Water Resources


Jean Christoffels, Zoning/Environmental Administrator
2500 28th Street
Slayton, Minnesota 56172
Phone: (507) 836-1166
Fax: (507) 836-8904

Sarah Soderholm, Environmental Technician
2500 28th Street
Slayton, Minnesota 56172
Phone: (507) 836-1165
Fax: (507) 836-8904


Local Water Management Plan

The Local Water Management Plan for Murray County was approved by the Murray County Commissioners on February 28, 2017.

If you have any questions about this plan, please contact the Murray County Environmental Services’ Office.

Murray County Local Water Management Plan 2017-2027

Citizen Water Monitoring

Do you live near a lake or stream in Minnesota, or visit one regularly?  If so, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency needs your help. Become a citizen lake or stream volunteer and help gather vital information about the health of our water resources.   Click HERE for more information.

Well Sealing Cost Share Program

Murray County has cost-share assistance to seal abandoned or unused wells.  The sealing of the well must be completed by a licensed well sealer.  The cost share will cover 50% of the cost of sealing the well not to exceed $500.00.  Please contact (507)-836-1165 for more information.

Low Interest Septic System Loan Program

Murray County has low-interest loans available for upgrading non-compliant septic systems.  The loan must be applied for before the system is constructed.  The interest rate of this loan is 4%, can be loaned out for a period of your choosing of 5 or 10 years, and can be paid off in full at any time with no penalty.  Please contact (507)-836-1165 for more information.

Low Income Septic System Grant Program

Murray County has been awarded a grant from the Clean Water Legacy Act (MN Stat. Ch. 114D) which can be used to replace subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) that have been deemed to be an Imminent Threat to Public Health or Failing to Protect Groundwater.  The grant must be applied for before the system is constructed.  The grant will pay for 80% of the septic system.  The remainder can be placed on the low-interest loan.  Please contact (507)-836-1165 for more information.

  • Funding is only for homesteaded single-family homes with SSTS’s located entirely within Murray County.
  • Eligible projects must have the existing septic system verified to be in noncompliance by the County.
  • You must own the house; either free of debt or through a mortgage.
  • Taxes must be current. Loan payment must be current. The property is not currently or imminently subject to repossession, forfeiture, or foreclosure.
  • Household gross annual income (including Social Security, wages and all regular sources) needs to fall within the USDA low income guidelines.
  • Application Procedure
  • Tennessen Warning for Application

Aquatic Invasive Species

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic Invasive Species (sometimes called exotic, invasive, non-indigenous or non-native) are defined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as: “aquatic organisms that invade ecosystems beyond their natural, historic range. Their presence may harm native ecosystems or commercial, agricultural, or recreational activities, depending upon their ecosystems.” Their presence can be harmful to fish populations, water quality, as well as water recreation. Current List of Infested Waters

Water Plan Information

The Natural Resources Block Grant (NRBG) is a composite of base grants that help Murray County implement programs designed to protect and improve water resources. Individual programs under this grant include: Comprehensive Local Water Management, the Wetland Conservation Act, DNR Shoreland Management, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Subsurface Sewage Treatment System Program.

Comprehensive Local Water Management:  The Comprehensive Local Water Management Program includes Minnesota’s 80 non-metropolitan area counties. This voluntary program requires counties to use local task forces to develop and implement water plans based on local priorities.

Wetland Conservation Act:  The purpose of the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) is to maintain and protect Minnesota’s wetlands and the benefits they provide.

In 1991, the Minnesota Legislature approved the Wetland Conservation Act. The project began in 1993 in response to concerns about wetland management processes such as permitting, unclear state policies, and methods to achieve the state’s goal of no net loss of wetlands. The law requires anyone proposing to drain or fill a wetland first to try the following:

  • To avoid disturbing the wetland;
  • Try to minimize any impact on the wetland; and
  • Replace any lost wetland acres, functions, and values.

Minnesota’s Wetland Conservation Act is considered one of the most comprehensive wetland laws in the country. It recognizes a number of benefits wetlands provide, including:

  • Water quality benefits, including filtering pollutants out of surface water and groundwater, using nutrients that would otherwise pollute public waters, trapping sediments, protecting shoreline, and recharging groundwater supplies;
  • Floodwater and storm water retention benefits, including reducing the potential for flooding in the watershed;
  • Public recreation and education benefits, including hunting and fishing areas, wildlife viewing areas, and nature areas;
  • Commercial benefits, including wild rice and cranberry growing areas and aquaculture areas;
  • Fish and wildlife benefits;
  • Low-flow augmentation benefits during times of drought; and
  • Other public uses.

DNR Shoreland Management:  The Community Stewardship Unit oversees the administration of the state shoreland management program to promote wise development of shorelands in order to preserve and enhance the quality of surface waters, preserve the economic values of shorelands, and ensure the wise use of water and related resources.

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Subsurface Sewage Treatment System Program:  Based on 1997 changes to Minnesota Statutes, all counties are required to pass ordinances regulating Individual Sewage Treatment Systems countywide.  Murray County enforces these regulations based on the Murray County Zoning Ordinance Section 12, Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems (SSTS).

One Watershed One Plan

Water Management Meeting Minutes