Contact: Stephen Mikkelson, 218-316-3887
St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is seeking comments on a water quality improvement report for Little Rock Lake, near the city of Rice. The report, known as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), focuses on pollution caused by excess nutrients. A public comment period begins May 23, and continues through June 22, 2011.
Little Rock Lake is in western Benton County, just southeast of Rice. Historically, the lake resembled a wetland, but with the installation of the Sartell Dam in 1911, water levels were raised about seven feet, creating a shallow lake.
Little Rock Lake was placed on Minnesota’s list of impaired waters in 2008, because of excess nutrient levels, particularly phosphorus. This TMDL study indicates that phosphorus levels will need to be reduced by 56 percent for Little Rock Lake to meet water quality standards during the summer season.
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 Little Rock Lake TMDL report and submit it to the EPA for approval. Following EPA approval, a plan will be developed to reduce pollution throughout the watershed.
The Little Rock Lake TMDL draft report is available online at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/tmdl-draft.html , or at the MPCA’s St. Paul office, 520 Lafayette Rd. N. Written comments should be submitted to Maggie Leach, MPCA, 7678 College Rd, Ste. 105, Baxter, MN 56425, or by e-mail to margaret.leach@state.mn.us. For more information, contact Maggie Leach at 218-316-3895, or toll-free at 800-657-3864.
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 online at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/index.html.
