The Cottonwood River watershed area covers 840,192 acres (1,313 square miles) of land and is located in parts of Brown, Cottonwood, Lyon, Murray, and Redwood Counties. The Cottonwood River originates near Balaton in southwest Lyon County, Minnesota, and flows about 150 miles east to the Minnesota River near New Ulm. The dominant land use in the watershed is cultivated agricultural row crops, accounting for 88% of all land use. The Redwood-Cottonwood Rivers Control Area (RCRCA) is responsible for the completion of the TMDL assessment and implementation plan report with the assistance of project participants, a technical committee, and stakeholder meetings. This project will be addressing the turbidity impairments within the Cottonwood River watershed. Project partners and participants have been established through the existing and ongoing Cottonwood River Restoration Project, which was sponsored by Clean Water Partnership program.
The beneficial use of aquatic life is impaired for turbidity along three stretches of the Cottonwood River. Three tributaries of the Cottonwood River are also impaired for turbidity: Sleepy Eye Creek, Plum Creek, and two stretches of Dutch Charlie Creek.
The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) assessment report will describe the magnitude of the problem from turbidity sources at the listed reaches. The TMDL implementation plan will provide direction for improving water quality and load reductions needed within the Cottonwood River watershed to meet water quality standards.
|
Listed reach name |
AUID # |
Listed pollutant |
Impaired use |
303(d) List scheduled start//Completion dates |
|
Cottonwood River |
07020008-501 |
turbidity |
aquatic life |
2004 // 2009 |
|
Cottonwood River |
07020008-504 |
turbidity |
aquatic life |
2011 // 2015 |
|
Cottonwood River |
07020008-508 |
turbidity |
aquatic life |
2011 // 2015 |
|
Sleepy Eye Creek |
07020008-512 |
turbidity |
aquatic life |
2011 // 2015 |
|
Plum Creek |
07020008-516 |
turbidity |
aquatic life |
2011 // 2015 |
|
Dutch Charlie Creek |
07020008-517 |
turbidity |
aquatic life |
2011 // 2015 |
|
Dutch Charlie Creek |
07020008-518 |
turbidity |
aquatic life |
2011 // 2015 |
Map and location
For more information, see TMDL Maps webpage and/or the Redwood-Cottonwood Rivers Control Area (RCRCA) website.
TMDL report and implementation plan
A preliminary draft TMDL assessment report and implementation plan are currently in development. It is anticipated that the draft TMDL assessment report and implementation plan will be completed by the fall of 2010.
Meetings and events
Specific information and meetings on the Cottonwood River Turbidity TMDL project is provided by the Redwood-Cottonwood Rivers Control Area (RCRCA) Web site.
Links
Information contact
Mark T. Hanson, Project Manager
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
504 Fairgrounds Road, Suite 200
Marshall, MN 56258
507-537-7146
mark.hanson@state.mn.us