From the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources April 2014 Snapshots
Cook
County is known by many as the gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe
Area Wilderness, a pristine treasure of natural resources. The
reputation is well-earned, as demonstrated by the thousands of people
who visit the area on an annual basis. Minimizing developmental impact
on those resources is a priority, and Cook County and the Cook County
Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) are working hard to keep the
lakes, rivers and streams that crisscross the land in top shape. As
part of that work and consistent with the Cook County Water Plan, the
county has identified septic inspections as a priority.
In
a region where 91% of the land is public, the privately-held
development is heavily clustered around shoreland areas. Using funding
from a CWF grant, the SWCD has partnered with the Cook County Planning
and Zoning Department to target three lakes, Tom Lake, Greenwood Lake,
and McFarland Lake, where development pressure is high, for Subsurface
Sewage Treatment System (SSTS) inspections. Monitoring data has shown
two of those lakes, Tom and Greenwood, have a declining water quality
trend. Without these funds, SSTS inspections wouldn’t occur unless there
was new construction or voluntary upgrades.
Based on
the results of the inspection program, the risk to these lakes is very
real. For example, at Tom Lake 76% of the systems were found to be
non-compliant and at Greenwood Lake that number hit 70%, with ten
systems deemed imminent public health threats. Inspections on McFarland
Lake are currently in process. Thanks to these inventories, the county
has been able to proactively address these water quality threats and
protect the lakes and the people who live on them. The Lake Superior
North Watershed has waters that are a destination for people around the
country, a resource for Minnesota and beyond, and keeping those waters
healthy matters. Inspection programs like this one are making a positive
impact on regional water quality now and for the future.
It’s
a community effort, Cook County SWCD Water Plan Coordinator Ilena Berg
says. “We are very lucky to have really committed citizens and lake
associations who have been very engaged in this process. Between their
efforts and the work of the Planning and Zoning Department, we’re
working toward a goal of 100% compliance on all our lakes.” Next on tap
for the program: inspections on properties along Lake Superior, the
largest freshwater lake by volume in North America.
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