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As Minnesota continues its statewide checkup of waters
and lists those failing to meet standards, some good examples of protective and
restorative work are starting to surface.
Water bodies that fail to meet standards are considered
impaired. The impaired waters list represents an assessment of how well lakes
and streams support fishing, swimming, and other beneficial uses. This
assessment is mandated by federal law and requires a cleanup study for each
impaired water body.
Success stories
For the first time, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(MPCA) is proposing to remove an impairment listing for PCBs. Fish sampled in
the Red River of the North now have PCB levels low enough to meet the standard
for consumption, though some impairments like mercury remain.
PCBs -- polychlorinated
biphenyls -- were chemicals once used as insulators in electrical equipment and
for other purposes. They were banned in 1979 because of their potential risks to human and
environmental health. Though scientists
cannot pinpoint the reasons for lower levels of PCBs in the Red River in
northwest Minnesota, it’s likely because PCBs have declined in the environment over
the past 38 years.
Additionally, the MPCA is proposing to remove 9 water
bodies from the list because of restorative actions to improve water quality:
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First Fulda Lake (Murray County) now has nutrient levels low enough to
meet recreation standards.
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The Poplar River (Superior Hiking Trail Bridge to Lake Superior, in Cook
County) is now clear enough to meet the standard for aquatic life such as fish.
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Bryant Lake (Hennepin County), Crystal
Lake (Dakota County), Gem Lake
(Ramsey County), McMahon Lake (Scott
County), and Mitchell Lake (Hennepin
County) now have nutrient levels low enough to meet recreation standards.
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Seven Mile Creek (Nicollet County) now has pesticide levels low enough to
meet the standard for aquatic life such as fish.
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The Clearwater River from Judicial Ditch 1 to the Lost River (Red Lake County),
and from Ruffy Brook to Judicial Ditch 1 (Clearwater County), now has oxygen
levels high enough to meet the standard for aquatic life such as fish.
Some common restoration actions include stabilizing
streambanks, holding back water long enough to let sediment settle out, and
better management of fertilizer.
New lakes, streams added to impaired waters
list
There are of course new impairments proposed for the 2018
list. Highlights include:
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201 streams and 23 lakes that cannot fully
support aquatic life. These bodies of water fail to support the number and
quality of aquatic life — fish and bugs — that they should support according to
research. Restoring these fish and bug communities often means improving
habitat conditions along with decreasing pollutants such as nutrients that
cause algae and sediment that clouds the water. Extensive tile drainage for
cropland also changes the movement of water and can hurt aquatic life.
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100 streams with elevated bacteria levels, most of them in the Red River basin in northwest
Minnesota. These waters have bacteria levels too high to meet the recreation
standard because of the increased risk of illness from contact. The proposed
impairments follow MPCA studies of watersheds, meaning impairments can be
clustered by study locations. The agency recently finished monitoring and
assessment of several water bodies in the Red River basin. Sources of bacteria can
include manure runoff, livestock in streams, failing sewer systems, and in
remote areas, wildlife.
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55 lakes and streams with high levels of nutrients. These waters fail to meet the nutrient standards designed
to prevent algae detrimental to aquatic life and recreation like fishing and
swimming. Sources of nutrients include wastewater, manure runoff, and
fertilizer runoff and leaching.
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32 water bodies with mercury
levels in fish tissue that are too high to meet standards. Mercury can be
toxic to humans and that’s why the state of Minnesota issues consumption
advisories for fish. The largest sources of mercury in Minnesota’s environment
come from air emissions like coal burning and taconite. About 90% of the
mercury deposited on Minnesota comes from other states and countries.
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3 streams that fail to meet the chloride standard
designed to protect aquatic life. These proposed listings highlight
Minnesota’s emerging problem of salty water posing a risk to its fresh water
species. For more information, visit this webpage: www.pca.state.mn.us/salty-water-growing-problem-minnesota.
Summary of numbers
In all, the number of impaired
Minnesota waters on the draft 2018 impaired waters list totals 5,101
impairments, with 618 new listings, covering a total of 2,669 water bodies
across the state (many water bodies are impaired by several pollutants).
Minnesota is detecting more waters in trouble because of its 10-year plan to
study all 80 major watersheds in the state, funded by the Clean Water, Land and
Legacy Amendment. The MPCA has started this study in all but a few watersheds.
While scientists find more
impairments, the overall percentage of impaired waters in Minnesota remains at
40%. The other 60% are in good condition and need protective strategies to stay
healthy.
Improving water quality
25% by 2025
Gov. Mark Dayton
has announced a new “25 by ‘25” water quality goal, which would spur innovation
and collaboration around strategies to improve Minnesota’s water quality 25
percent by 2025. Without additional action, the quality of Minnesota’s waters
is expected to improve only 6 to 8 percent by 2034.
Dayton’s “25 by
‘25” water quality goal would not add additional regulations. It is instead a
call to action to drive public engagement and partnerships to address the
state’s growing water quality issues. The goal also would be flexible, allowing
Minnesota’s local watersheds to decide which pollutants to address and
strategies to employ.
Improving water
quality by 25 percent by 2025 would not entirely eliminate the threats and
challenges to Minnesota’s waters. But setting and achieving this goal would
make a significant impact on the quality of the state’s waters and ensure they
are more swimmable, fishable, and drinkable for future generations.
Public meetings
The MPCA will hold four public meetings in November on
the draft 2018 impaired waters list, including the delistings and impairments
proposed. You may attend in person or participate live online by following the
WebEx links below. Email miranda.nichols@state.mn.us to request additional
information for any of the meetings.
Northwest — Wednesday, Nov. 8, 1 p.m.
Detroit Lakes MPCA, 714 Lake Ave., Suite 220, Detroit
Lakes, MN 56501
Join the online meeting:
For the
presentation, go to www.webex.com. Click "Join" and enter the information below.
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For the audio,
call 1-844-302-0362.
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Meeting number
(access code): 595 413 708.
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Meeting
password: gM3fdUuD.
Northeast — Thursday, Nov. 9, 9:30
a.m.
Blandin Foundation, 100 North Pokegama Ave., Grand Rapids,
MN 55744
Vermilion Community College – Fine Arts Building Room
105, 1900 E. Camp St. Ely, MN 55731
Oveson’s Pelican Lake Resort – Board Room, 4675 U.S. Hwy
53, Orr, MN 55771
Join the online meeting:
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For the
presentation go to www.webex.com. Click "Join" and enter the information below.
- For the audio,
call 1-844-302-0362.
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Meeting number
(access code): 597 969 123
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Meeting
password: Peexuwj3
South/Southeast — Monday, Nov. 13, 9
a.m.
St. Paul MPCA, 520 Lafayette Rd N, St. Paul, MN 55155
Mankato MPCA, 12 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 2165, Mankato,
MN 56001
Rochester MPCA, 18 Wood Lake Drive SE, Rochester, MN
55904
Join the online meeting:
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For the
presentation go to www.webex.com. Click "Join" and enter the information below.
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For the audio,
call 1-844-302-0362.
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Meeting number
(access code): 593 727 584
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Meeting
password: tKPJGRX4
Southwest — Thursday, Nov. 16, 1 p.m.
Marshall MPCA, 504 Fairgrounds Rd, Suite 200 Marshall, MN
56258
Join the online meeting:
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For the
presentation go to www.webex.com.Click "Join" and enter the information below.
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For the audio,
call 1-844-302-0362.
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Meeting number
(access code): 598 821 807
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Meeting
password: 3tGPRbkH
Public comments invited
Interested parties may comment on Minnesota’s draft 2018
impaired waters list later this year. Sign up for updates on the MPCA’s impaired waters page.
All comments received during that period, and agency
responses, will be forwarded to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along
with the proposed list and accompanying documentation, for its review and
approval.
For more information
Visit the MPCA's impaired waters page by going to www.pca.state.mn.us and search for “impaired waters list.”
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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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