Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Anne Perry Moore, 218-302-6605 Duluth, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is inviting the public to comment on a draft Knife River pollution report from Oct. 12 through Nov. 11, 2009. Those interested in the report can also attend a public meeting that has been scheduled from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the South St Louis County Soil and Water District office located at 215 North 1st Avenue East, Room 302. MPCA water quality monitoring data indicates the 25-mile-long Knife River, part of a 53,000-acre watershed located north of Duluth in St. Louis and Lake counties, has turbidity levels that exceed state standards. Turbidity, one indicator of water clarity, is caused by erosion, suspended clay, silt, organic matter and algae. High turbidity levels can have significant impacts on aquatic ecosystems and affect the quality of local plant and fish communities. The MPCA's data is part of the recently completed draft Knife River Total Maximum Daily Load report. A TMDL is the maximum amount of a pollutant, such as turbidity, that a water body can receive and still meet its designated uses and water quality standards. When a water body exceeds a standard for a pollutant, it is considered impaired. The MPCA is developing a process to identify the Knife River's turbidity sources, determine voluntary and regulatory source reductions and establish a cleanup plan to help the river meet state water quality standards. Citizen involvement, education, outreach and pollution prevention are key components of the TMDL process. Draft implementation activities include stream bank and channel restoration, gully stabilization, water storage, tree plantings and best management practices for residential areas, ditch maintenance, construction stormwater runoff and riparian buffer zones. This TMDL study 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. The river was included on the MPCA's 1998 list of impaired waters for excessive turbidity levels and impairment to aquatic life. The Knife River TMDL report will be submitted to the EPA and once it is approved, local authorities will work with individuals and organizations to further develop and implement the plan. For more information about draft Knife River TMDL study, contact Nathan Schroeder of the South St. Louis County Soil and Water District at 218-723-4946. The draft TMDL study, along with information on the state's impaired waters list and Total Maximum Daily Load studies, is available on the Web at www.pca.state.mn.us/. The Knife River Watershed Project Web site is located at www.southstlouisswcd.org/knife_TMDL.html.