Contact: Alexis Donath, 651-757-2120
St. Paul, Minn. — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is seeking comments on a water quality improvement report for Lake Magda, located in Hennepin County. The report, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study, focuses on pollution caused by excess levels of nutrients, specifically phosphorus. The MPCA is accepting public comments on the report from March 22 through April 21, 2010.
Lake Magda is a shallow, 11-acre lake located in Brooklyn Park, Minn., and is part of the Shingle Creek watershed. It is a neighborhood lake used for canoeing and recreational fishing and valued for its aesthetic qualities. The drainage area to the lake is 62 acres of fully developed urban and suburban land. The primary source of phosphorus to Lake Magda is stormwater runoff. Phosphorus in stormwater results when organic material such as leaves, grass clippings, lawn fertilizers and sediments wash into the stormwater system.
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. A TMDL report is a scientific study that calculates the maximum amount of a pollutant a water body can receive without exceeding water quality standards. After receiving public comments and obtaining approval from the EPA, a plan to address the Lake Magda phosphorus impairment will be developed.
The draft Lake Magda TMDL report may be viewed on the MPCA Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/project-lakemagda-nutrients.html. Comments on the report should be submitted in writing by April 21 to Barb Peichel, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN 55155-4194.
Written comments must include the following:
• 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.
Questions or requests for additional information may be directed to Peichel at 651-757-2646 or toll-free at 1-800-657-3864. For more information on TMDLs and Minnesota’s impaired waters, visit the MPCA Web site at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/.
