Contact: Anne Perry Moore, 218-302-6605
Duluth, Minn. — In early October, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and its partners will unveil a new effort to monitor and assess aquatic health for the entire Lake Superior North Watershed starting in 2013, the agency announced today.
Two public meetings to describe the sampling processes and possible contaminants are scheduled for Oct. 5. The first will be from 9:30-11:00 a.m. at the Cook County Courthouse, 411 W. Second St. in Grand Marais. The second public meeting will be from 2:00-3:30 p.m. at the Clare Nelson Center, also known as the Finland Community Center, at 6866 Cramer Road in Finland.
The initiative, known as “Intensive Watershed Monitoring,” is a cooperative arrangement among water experts from local soil and water conservation districts, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Section and local citizen monitors. As part of this initiative, these organizations will conduct biological surveys in lakes and streams, test for fish contaminants and collect water chemistry data.
The approach is considered new because it identifies water-quality problems throughout the watershed during the first year and then investigates and identifies the sources during the second year.
The effort is part of a larger, 10-year cycle designed to restore and protect watersheds statewide.
For more information, call Project Manager Karen Evens at 218-302-6644, email her at karen.evens@state.mn.us or visit the MPCA's Watershed Approach web page.
