Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Kayla Job, 651-757-2468 St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is seeking comments on a water quality improvement report for Schmidt, Pomerleau and Bass lakes in Hennepin County. The report, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), focuses on pollution caused by excess nutrient levels. A public comment period will begin June 8 and continue through July 8, 2009. Almost the entire drainage area of these lakes is located within the city of Plymouth, with a fraction located in Maple Grove. The watersheds of all three lakes are connected and ultimately flow into the Mississippi River. Schmidt, Pomerleau and Bass lakes have been placed on the state's impaired waters list because of excess nutrients levels, particularly phosphorus. While phosphorus is an essential nutrient for algae and plants, it is considered a pollutant when it stimulates excessive growth of algae or aquatic plants. The TMDL study assessed the pollutant concentrations and indicated phosphorus will need to be reduced by 67 percent for Pomerleau Lake, 9 percent for Schmidt Lake, and 33 percent for Bass Lake to meet the water-quality standard during the summer. 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, each stateis 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 draft Schmidt, Pomerleau and Bass lakes TMDL report and submit it to the EPA for approval. After the EPA approves the study, a plan will be developed to reduce phosphorus pollution in the lake. The Schmidt, Pomerleau and Bass lakes TMDL draft report is available at the MPCA office at 520 Lafayette Road N. in St. Paul or on the Web at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/project-schmidtpomerleaubass-nutrients.html. Comments may be submitted to Barb Peichel, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road N., Saint Paul, MN 55155-4194. For more information, telephone Peichel at 651-757-2646 or toll-free at 800-657-3864. Written comments must include (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 More information on the state's impaired waters list and TMDL studies is available on the Web at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/index.html.