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Willmar, Minn.-- Starting in early May, crews from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will be conducting biological monitoring for fish and small aquatic life at nearly 100 sites in the Des Moines River basin. This includes portions of six counties: Nobles, Murray, Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin, Lyon, and Pipestone.
The monitoring is designed to measure and evaluate the condition of rivers and streams by studying fish, aquatic invertebrates, and plant life as well as habitat, flow and water chemistry.
Examples of aquatic invertebrates include insect larvae, crayfish, snails, small clams, worms and leeches. Stream water chemistry is monitored to provide information about the quality of the water in which these fish and invertebrates live.
Local water management groups will also be sampling a smaller set of sites for water chemistry from May through September. The Department of Natural Resources will be completing assessments of the geographical structure of stream and river beds.
Lake-monitoring crews will sample 20 lakes in the basin. The lake-monitoring teams will focus on water clarity, nutrient concentrations, and other water chemistry attributes to assess the lakes’ suitability for recreation.
The purpose of the monitoring is to develop a complete picture of the conditions of the water body types in the basin. There are certain expectations for what the biology and water chemistry should look like at a given sampling location. If samples do not meet those expectations, the sampling location could be considered impaired. If that happens, the MPCA would look more closely at what could be causing impairments and find ways to correct the problems.
The monitoring is part of a 10-year effort to assess the condition of rivers, streams and lakes in Minnesota. There are 81 major watersheds in Minnesota. Each watershed is comprised of a network of interconnected streams, lakes and wetlands.
Short videos showing the monitoring teams in action are available on the MPCA’s biological monitoring webpage. This work is being funded by the Clean Water Fund from the constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2008.
For more information about these monitoring program activities, visit the MPCA’s water quality condition monitoring webpage.
Broadcast version
Starting in early May, crews from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will be studying fish and small aquatic life at nearly 100 sites in the Des Moines River basin. This includes portions of Nobles, Murray, Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin, Lyon, and Pipestone counties.
Local water management groups will also sample select sites over the summer, and the Department of Natural Resources will be assessing the geographical structure of stream and river beds.
These monitoring activities help to develop a complete picture of the conditions in lakes and streams in the basin. When water quality problems are found, the MPCA looks more closely at causes of the impairments and find ways to correct them.
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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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