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Lake Pepin Watershed TMDL Eutrophication and Turbidity Impairments
Lake Pepin is a natural lake on the Mississippi River and is part of the Zumbro River watershed and the Mississippi River - Lake Pepin watershed in the Lower Mississippi River Basin. It is located near Lake City, Minnesota. It has a surface area of about 40 square miles and an average depth of 18 feet. About 48,634 square miles (approximately half of Minnesota’s total land area plus a small portion of Wisconsin), including the Upper Mississippi, St. Croix and Minnesota Rivers, drains into the Lake Pepin watershed.
The lake is on the 2004 Impaired Waters List. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) defines the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can carry without violating water quality standards.
Lake Pepin TMDL project
Lake Pepin is impaired by excess nutrients and is also affected by the turbidity impairment in the south metro Mississippi River. These pollutants are distinct but inter-related, and will be addressed in separate TMDL reports. The Lake Pepin Watershed TMDL project is unique in its size and scope due to the amount of land area included in the watershed as well as the fact that it overlaps state boundaries.
- Project Feedback: Send us an e-mail to submit comments, questions and suggestions related to the Lake Pepin TMDL Project.
More specific information about Lake Pepin impairments and this project is available in the following factsheet:
Project schedule and work products
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Project Schedule - Lake Pepin TMDL Work Plan #2, July 2006
- Upper Mississippi River - Lake Pepin Water Quality Model: Development, Calibration, and Application
- Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Introduction
- Model Development
- Upper Mississippi River Data Summary
- UMR-LP Model Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport Calibration/Confirmation
- UMR-LP Model Water Quality Calibration/Confirmation
- UMR-LP Model Application
- Recommendations for TMDL Year 4
- References
- Summary of Water Quality Data Collected in Support of Lake Pepin Modeling Activities
Stakeholder advisory meetings: Selected presentations
August 20, 2009 - Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting, St. Paul
- Water Quality Standards and Site Specific Standards: Mark Tomasek, MPCA
- Meeting Site-Specific Standards for the Mississippi River and Lake Pepin: Dennis Wasley, MPCA
Events
- 3rd Annual Lake Pepin Forum - Impacts of a Cleaner Mississippi: What matters to residents of the Lake Pepin watershed
- Thursday, June 4, 2009, Red Wing, MN
- Presentations from the 2009 Forum (please note that you may need to adjust your printer settings to minimize ink use if printing these files):
- Opening Remarks: Trevor Russell, Friends of the Mississippi River
- What’s New with the Lake Pepin TMDL: Norman Senjem, MPCA
- Explaining a Watershed Approach: Gaylen Reetz, MPCA
- A Locally Anchored System for River Restoration: Laura Jester, Dakota County
- Clear Water, Aquatic Vegetation and Fish: Tim Schlagenhaft, Minnesota DNR
- Introducing the Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance: Mike McKay, Watershed Resident
- Wastewater and Stormwater: Marco Graziani and Mike Trojan, MPCA
- Using 21st Century Technology to Target Critical Areas: John Nieber, University of Minnesota
- 21st Century Cropping Solutions for Critical Areas: Linda Meschke, Rural Advantage
- Engaging Agriculture in Environmental Problem-Solving: Warren Formo, MAWRC
- Providing Reasonable Assurance of Nonpoint Source Implementation: Kris Sigford, MCEA
Related links
- South Metro Mississippi River: Turbidity
- EPA Office of Water: Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program
- USGS Home Page
- Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network
- Basin Alliance for the Lower Mississippi in Minnesota
- Minnesota River TMDL
- Mississippi Makeover
Contact information
For information about the Lake Pepin TMDL Project, contact:
- Catherine Rofshus, 507-206-2608
- Bob Finley, 507-344-5247, robert.finley@state.mn.us
