Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Forrest Peterson, 320-214-3789 Marshall, Minn. -- A public comment period begins March 31 and continues through April 30, 2008 for a revised version of an earlier report addressing water pollution in Pipestone Creek. Known as a Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL study, the report addresses pollution caused by fecal coliform bacteria and turbidity. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has placed three sections of Pipestone Creek on the state's impaired waters list for exceeding those water quality standards. This is the second public comment period for this TMDL due to changes made to the original draft, primarily in the turbidity portion of the report. Adjustments made to the data for turbidity resulted from the laboratory method used to measure it. The revised allocations result in a smaller reduction for suspended sediment than originally estimated, from 54 percent to 26 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. Fecal coliform bacteria can affect human health and limit recreational use of the water. Turbidity is a measurement of water cloudiness and can affect aquatic life. The MPCA estimates that a 77 percent reduction in fecal coliform bacteria and 26 percent reduction in turbidity in Pipestone Creek are necessary in order to meet water quality standards. Livestock on overgrazed pasture near the creek, surface-applied manure on cropland, and feedlots lacking adequate runoff controls are the primary sources of the fecal coliform bacteria. Soil erosion from stream bank, upland soil loss from row cropland, and nutrients contributing to algae growth are the primary sources of turbidity. The Pipestone Creek fecal coliform bacteria and turbidity TMDL draft report is available on the Web at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/index.html, or at the MPCA Marshall office, 1420 E. College Dr., Suite 900. Comments may be submitted to Chris Zadak, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Rd. N., St. Paul, MN 55155. For more information, contact Zadak at 651-297-8613, or toll-free at 1-800-657-3864. Following a public comment period and approval by the EPA, a plan based on the report will be developed to reduce the pollutants causing the impairments. Written comments must include the following:
1. A statement of your interest in the draft TMDL report;
2. 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
3. Specific reasons supporting your position.