Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Nancy Miller, (507) 280-3590 Rochester, Minn. -- A public comment period will begin July 21 and continue through Aug. 20, 2008 on a report addressing water pollution in the High Island Creek and Rush River Watersheds in south-central Minnesota. The report, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study, focuses on pollution caused by fecal coliform bacteria. The Rush River and High Island Creek Clean Water Partnerships will host an open house on Monday, July 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m at the Sibley County Service Center, 111 Eighth St., Gaylord, Minn. The open house will include a brief presentation on the TMDL as well as information about best management practices available through the Rush River and High Island Creek Clean Water Partnerships. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has placed five portions of High Island Creek and two portions of the Rush River on the state's impaired waters list for exceeding water-quality standards. Monitoring data show that these sections fail to meet the standard for human contact due to excessive fecal coliform bacteria. Fecal coliform bacteria can affect human health and limit recreational use of the water. Sources of these bacteria include failing septic systems, unsewered communities, wildlife, stormwater runoff from livestock feedlots, and manure applied to cropland. The Minnesota State University-Mankato Water Resources Center has prepared the High Island Creek and Rush River Fecal Coliform Draft TMDL. The Federal Clean Water Act requires that TMDL studies be done for all waters placed on Minnesota's impaired waters list. A TMDL identifies the maximum amount of a pollutant that can enter a water body, known as the loading capacity, without causing a violation of water-quality standards. The TMDL process establishes the allowable load and allocates portions of that load to all identified sources of the pollutant. Following the public comment period, the MPCA will make needed revisions to the High Island Creek and Rush River Fecal Coliform Draft TMDL and submit the report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval. When the TMDL is approved, a plan will be developed to implement strategies to reduce fecal coliform bacteria pollution in the affected waters. To receive more information or submit comments on this TMDL, contact Scott MacLean, MPCA, 12 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 2165, Mankato, MN 56001-8704; phone (507) 344-5250; fax (507) 389-5422; or e-mail scott.maclean@pca.state.mn.us. Draft TMDLs are posted on the Internet at hhref="/water/tmdl/index.html#drafttmdl. For general information about TMDLs, visit hhref="/water/tmdl and http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl.