Waterways connect our urban and rural communities. In 2018, the Sand County Foundation partnered with the Village of Grafton, with support from the Fund, to incentivize conservation practices on farms upstream of the Village’s wastewater treatment plant. As a result, Grafton streamlined its water quality permit compliance while promoting collaboration between municipal and rural communities. The team will now expand these efforts by empowering farmers to implement phosphorus-reducing conservation practices, training local staff on performance-based conservation, and advancing water quality permit compliance.