Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Forrest Peterson, 320-441-6972 Marshall, Minn. -- Information on a report addressing water quality in Lake Shaokatan will be presented at a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, at the Picnic Point County Park shelter on the lake's south shore. The report, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study, focuses on pollution caused by high levels of phosphorus that contribute to excessive growth of algae in the lake. A public comment period on the draft report will begin July 6 and continue through Aug. 5. Minnesota TMDL reports are part of a nationwide effort under the federal Clean Water Act to identify and clean up pollution in streams, rivers and lakes. A TMDL report establishes the maximum amount of a pollutant a water body can receive without exceeding water-quality standards. Schuler Environmental Engineering prepared the Lake Shaokatan report. The data show a declining trend in water quality due to excessive watershed loading and lake sediment phosphorus sources. Excessive phosphorus is a major cause of algal growth. The analysis indicates that the lake needs a 67 percent reduction in phosphorus to meet the water-quality standard for aquatic life and recreation. Sources of phosphorus to Lake Shaokatan are mostly human influenced. They include improper fertilizer application, livestock manure runoff, noncompliant septic systems, and runoff from uplands. Other minor sources include wildlife and pets. Following approval of the study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a plan will be developed to direct efforts toward restoring the lake to water-quality standards. For more information about the TMDL study, call Kelli Daberkow at the Marshall office of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) at 507-476-4251, or Cindy Potz of the Yellow Medicine River Watershed District at 507-872-6720. Written comments on the Lake Shaokatan draft TMDL report must be sent by 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 5 to Kelli Daberkow, MPCA, 1420 E. College Dr., Ste. 900, Marshall, MN 56258. Written comments must include:
(1) a statement of your interest in the draft TMDL report;
(2) a statement of action you wish the MPCA to take, including specific references to sections of the draft TMDL that you believe should be changed;
and (3) the reasons supporting your position, stated with sufficient specificity to allow the MPCA commissioner to investigate the merits of your position. The MPCA will prepare responses to comments on the draft TMDL report and make any necessary revisions. The Lake Shaokatan draft TMDL report is available for review at the MPCA's Marshall office or on the Web at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/project-lakeshaokatan.html. More information on Minnesota's impaired waters list and TMDL studies is available at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/index.html.