SF 1537: Bill to protect lakes and rivers by requiring a 50 foot buffer strip

In January 2015, Governor Dayton announced a proposal to protect Minnesota’s waters from erosion and runoff pollution by improving the state’s requirements for a buffer strip along rivers and streams.

Known as the Buffer Initiative, this legislation requires at least 50 feet of perennial vegetation around Minnesota’s waters. Buffers help filter out nutrients and sediment by slowing runoff, trapping sediment with these pollutants, and allowing vegetation to absorb them.

In fall 2014, the urgent need for better buffers was demonstrated by a Pollution Control Agency report finding that only 3 of 93 streams in Southwest Minnesota met standards for being fishable and swimmable.

The bill requires the DNR to identify and map waterways that require buffers, creates a timeline for establishing them, describes exceptions and provisions for flexibility, and outlines the provisions for uniform enforcement.

Members At The Time Of The Vote