Contact: Cori Rude-Young, 651-757-2680
St. Paul, Minn. — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is seeking comments on a water-quality-improvement report for the Chisago Lakes Chain of Lakes Watershed. The report, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), focuses on pollution caused by excess phosphorus in nine lakes in the watershed. A public comment period begins Oct. 22 and continues through Nov. 21, 2012.
The nine lakes on this list of impaired waters are North Center, South Center, Wallmark, Little, Ogren, Linn, Pioneer, School and Emily. In the case of the Chisago Lakes Chain of Lakes, the impairment affects the lakes’ ability to support aquatic recreation (which includes fishing, swimming, boating and aesthetics). The impairment is caused by excessive nutrients in the lakes, and the nutrient found to be causing the main problem is phosphorus. Phosphorus is a necessary nutrient in lake ecology; however, too much phosphorus can cause excessive algae blooms.
The report indicates one or more of these sources — watershed runoff, internal loading, atmospheric deposition (airborne pollution), feedlots and septic systems — contribute to the phosphorus issues in the lakes. To restore aquatic recreation uses in the lakes, the following phosphorus load reductions are needed: North Center Lake, 18 percent; South Center Lake, 21 percent; Wallmark Lake, 95 percent; Little Lake, 90 percent; Ogren Lake, 45 percent; Linn Lake, 88 percent; Pioneer Lake, 96 percent; School Lake, 88 percent; Emily Lake, 93 percent.
The TMDL report is part of a nationwide effort under the federal Clean Water Act to identify and clean up pollution in streams, rivers and lakes. Every two years, states are required to submit a list of impaired waters to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A TMDL report is a scientific study that calculates the maximum amount of a pollutant a water body can receive (known as the “loading capacity”) without exceeding water-quality standards.
After receiving public comments, the MPCA will revise the TMDL report and submit it to the EPA for approval. Following EPA approval of the study, a plan will be developed to reduce pollution throughout the watershed.
The TMDL draft report is available online or at the MPCA office at 520 Lafayette Road N. in St. Paul. Written comments should be mailed to Christopher Klucas, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Rd. N., Saint Paul, MN 55155, or sent by email to christopher.klucas@state.mn.us by Nov. 21, 2012. For more information, call Klucas at 651-757-2498.
Written comments must include:
- a statement of your interest in the draft TMDL report;
- a statement of the action you wish the MPCA to take, including specific references to sections of the draft TMDL that you believe should be changed; and
- specific reasons supporting your position.
More information on the state's impaired waters list and TMDL studies is available on the MPCA’s Impaired Waters and TMDLs webpage.
