Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Nancy Miller, 507-280-3590 Rochester, Minn. - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) invites interested parties to attend a Lake Pepin water quality study public forum on Tuesday, April 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing. The purpose of the forum is to engage local stakeholders in the Lake Pepin Watershed Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process. Citizens living on or near Lake Pepin could play a lead roll in implementing wastewater and land-use management changes required from this water quality study. This event provides an opportunity for local citizens to find out more about the project and its potential outcomes. The Lake Pepin TMDL Policy Forum will cover topics of interest relating to the water quality study. Some topics include municipal wastewater, undersewered areas, individual septic systems, stormwater, development pressures, shoreland protection and agriculture. The forum will feature discussion with a panel of experts in each of these topic areas as well as an opportunity for small group discussion. Organizers will share ideas and information collected during the event with the Lake Pepin Watershed TMDL Stakeholder Advisory Committee, a group representing statewide interests in the Lake Pepin TMDL. Lake Pepin's watershed covers 48,634 square miles, approximately half of Minnesota's total land area plus a small portion of Wisconsin. The watershed includes the Upper Mississippi River Basin, the St. Croix River Basin and the Minnesota River Basin. Co-sponsors of the forum include the cities of Lake City and Red Wing as well as Goodhue County and the Goodhue Soil and Water Conservation District. Visit www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/tmdl-lakepepin.html for more information about the Lake Pepin Watershed TMDL project.