Contact: Alexis Donath, 651-757-2312
St. Paul, Minn. — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is seeking comments on a water quality improvement report for Spring Lake and Upper Prior Lake in Scott County. The report, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study, focuses on pollution caused by excess phosphorus. A public comment period begins Aug. 2 and continues through Sept. 1.
Spring Lake is a 642-acre lake and Upper Prior Lake is a 337-acre lake located in the city of Prior Lake and Spring Lake Township while the drainage area includes portions of Sand Creek Township. Agriculture, wetlands and urban uses currently dominate land use in the lake’s 16,116-acre watershed, with increasing transition to urban use.
The lakes were placed on the state's impaired waters list because of excess nutrient 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. The TMDL study assessed the phosphorus concentration in the lakes and indicated that a phosphorus reduction of 83 percent for Spring Lake and 42 percent for Upper Prior Lake will be necessary to consistently meet the water quality standard.
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 (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 TMDL report and submit it to the EPA for approval. Following approval of the study, a plan will be developed to reduce phosphorus pollution in the lakes.
The Spring Lake -Upper Prior Lake Nutrient TMDL draft report is available on the Web at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/tmdl-draft.html, or at the St. Paul office, 520 Lafayette Road North.
Comments may be submitted to Chris Zadak, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road North, St. Paul, MN 55155. For more information, contact Zadak at 651-757-2837 or email chris.zadak@state.mn.us.
Written comments must include the following:
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 or toll-free at 1-800-657-3864.
