Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Cathy Rofshus: 507-206-2608 St. Paul, Minn. -- A public comment period on a water-quality report for six lakes in Washington and Chisago counties begins Nov. 23 and continues through Dec. 23, 2009. Known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), the report addresses water pollution caused by excessive nutrients, mainly phosphorus that fuels algal blooms. All six lakes are in the Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District near the cities of Wyoming and Forest Lake. The lakes include Comfort, Birch, Bone, Moody, School, Shields and Little Comfort. Water-quality monitoring of these lakes has shown that their nutrient levels frequently exceed state standards. Excessive nutrients, through algal blooms, reduce water quality, limiting habitat for fish and wildlife as well as recreational opportunities. In accordance with the Clean Water Act, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) places waters that exceed state standards on a list of polluted or impaired waters. Federal law requires TMDL studies for all waters placed on the list. A TMDL measures the level of pollutants in water, identifies their sources and recommends how to reduce pollutant levels so the water can meet state standards. The Six Lakes TMDL report is available on the Web at hhref="/water/tmdl/project-clflwd.html or at the MPCA St. Paul office, 520 Lafayette Road N. For more information and to submit comments, contact Christopher Klucas, MPCA Project Manager, at 651-757-2498 or christopher.klucas@state.mn.us. Comments must be in writing and must be received at the MPCA office in St. Paul by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2009, to become part of the public record. Following the comment period and approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the MPCA will work with interested parties to develop a plan based on the TMDL report to reduce pollutant levels in the six lakes.