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The Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency (MPCA) and local partners have developed a plan to restore and protect
water quality in the Leech Lake River watershed in north central Minnesota. The Watershed Restoration and Protection
Strategies (WRAPS) report is open for public review and comment through March
15, 2017.
The Leech Lake
River watershed is in the northern part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin,
and includes parts of Beltrami, Cass, and Hubbard counties. The
watershed also includes the Leech Lake Reservation (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe).
The
Leech Lake River watershed is a healthy watershed, maybe the healthiest in
the Upper Mississippi River Basin. This is partly because most of the very few
impairments are the result of natural background conditions. Also, the high
amount of forested land plays a role in preserving water quality throughout the
watershed. Identified causes of impairments include low dissolved oxygen,
excess sediment, altered hydrology and geomorphology, habitat loss, and
elevated phosphorus.
A WRAPS report
summarizes physical, chemical, and biological assessments of water quality;
identifies impairments and water bodies in need of protection; identifies
biotic stressors and sources of pollution; and proposes strategies and actions
designed to achieve and maintain water quality standards.
These reports are being
completed under the MPCA’s watershed approach, a holistic way of gauging the
health of streams, rivers and lakes, and developing strategies to restore and
protect water quality.
The draft report is available
on the MPCA’s Public Notices web page, or at the St. Paul MPCA office,
520 Lafayette Road North. Comments may be submitted to Phil Votruba, MPCA, 7678
College Road, Baxter, MN, 56425, or by e-mail to phil.votruba@state.mn.us by 4:30 p.m. on March 15, 2017. For
more information, contact Votruba at 218-316-3901, or toll-free at 800-657-3864.
Written comments must include a
statement of your interest in the report, and the action you wish the MPCA to
take, including specific references to sections of the draft report you believe
should be changed and the reasons for making those changes.
Governor Mark Dayton has declared a “Year of Water Action” and
is encouraging all Minnesotans to take a role in protecting our state’s most
precious resource for future generations. Governor Dayton has called on
Minnesotans to work together to find solutions to keep Minnesota’s water clean
and accessible to everyone. Despite the state’s abundance of lakes, rivers,
groundwater and streams, more than 40 percent of Minnesota’s waters are
currently listed as impaired or polluted.
More information on all of
Minnesota’s 80 major watersheds is available on the MPCA’s watershed web pages.
Broadcast version
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is seeking comments on a water quality restoration
and protection strategies report for the Leech Lake River watershed. The report
quantifies pollutant levels, identifies sources of pollution, identifies areas
where protection can maintain good water, and proposes ways to bring water
quality back to acceptable levels throughout the Leech Lake River watershed. A public review and comment period runs
through March 15, 2017.
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The mission of the MPCA is to protect and improve the environment and enhance human health.
St. Paul • Brainerd • Detroit Lakes • Duluth • Mankato • Marshall • Rochester • Willmar
www.pca.state.mn.us • Toll-free and TDD 800-657-3864
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