Final Shell Rock River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy
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Watershed May 2021 Shell Rock River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report e. Right click on this picture, choose Change picture, click on th pi Authors Bill Thompson; MPCA Ashley Ignatius; MPCA Emily Zanon; MPCA Contributors/acknowledgements Andy Henschel; Shell Rock River Watershed District Brenda Lageson; Freeborn County SWCD Cody Fox; Freeborn County Courtney Phillips; Shell Rock River Watershed District Dalton Syverson; City of Albert Lea Kristen Dieterman; MPCA Lindsey Zeitler; Freeborn County SWCD Paul Brietzke; MPCA Rachel Wehner; Freeborn County Steven Jahnke; City of Albert Lea Winston Beiser; Freeborn County Cover photo descriptions (clockwise, from upper left): Shell Rock River near Gordonsville, Minnesota Agricultural drainage ditch in the Peter Lund Creek Subwatershed Jerad Stricker of the Shell Rock River Watershed District takes a water elevation measurement from the bridge over the channel between Fountain and Albert Lea lakes. City of Albert Lea’s wastewater treatment plant outfall to the Shell Rock River The MPCA is reducing printing and mailing costs by using the Internet to distribute reports and information to wider audience. Visit our website for more information. The MPCA reports are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled content paper manufactured without chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Document number: wq-ws4-70a Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................ ii List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... iii 1. Watershed background and description ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Watershed Characteristics ................................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Subwatersheds ................................................................................................................................. 22 1.3 Lake Characteristics ......................................................................................................................... 24 2. Watershed conditions ................................................................................................................ 26 2.1 Water Quality Conditions ................................................................................................................. 32 2.2 Water quality trends ........................................................................................................................ 62 2.3 Stressors and pollutant sources ....................................................................................................... 63 2.4 TMDL summary ................................................................................................................................ 96 2.5 Protection considerations ................................................................................................................ 99 3. Prioritizing and implementing restoration ................................................................................ 100 3.1 Comprehensive Local BMP Assessments ....................................................................................... 102 3.2 Civic engagement, accomplishments and public participation ...................................................... 118 3.3 Restoration strategies .................................................................................................................... 121 4. Monitoring plan ....................................................................................................................... 136 5. References and further information ......................................................................................... 139 6. Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 147 Shell Rock River WRAPS Report Minnesota Pollution Control Agency i List of Tables Table 1. Farm size distribution in Freeborn County. ..................................................................................... 9 Table 2. Acres and percentages of crops grown in Freebon County (CDL 2019). ....................................... 12 Table 3. Drainage classes in the SRRW. ...................................................................................................... 15 Table 4. Number of public drainage systems and associated percent of open ditch. ................................ 16 Table 5. Shell Rock River Watershed lakes. ................................................................................................ 25 Table 6. Watershed Health Index Scores for the SRRW (DNR 2019). ......................................................... 26 Table 7. General Use - Preliminary Draft Use Designations under TALU. ................................................... 27 Table 8. Modified Use – Preliminary Draft Use Designations under TALU. ................................................ 27 Table 9. Assessment summary of streams in the SRRW. ............................................................................ 30 Table 10. Assessed streams in the SRRW. .................................................................................................. 35 Table 11: Assessment status of stream reaches in the Shell Rock River, presented from upstream to downstream for the 12 river miles in WID 07080202-501. ........................................................................ 36 Table 12. Mean and median pollutant concentrations in the Shell Rock River. ......................................... 38 Table 13. Pollutant flow-weighted mean concentrations and mass in the Shell Rock River (average for 2009-2016). ................................................................................................................................................. 39 Table 14. Flow-weighted mean dissolved orthophosphate and total phosphorus concentrations in the Shell Rock River, 2013 to 2015, with DOP/TP ratios. .................................................................................. 40 Table 15. Total suspended solid data summary from other streams and tributaries. ............................... 51 Table 16. E. coli concentrations for Bancroft Creek and Wedge Creek. ..................................................... 54 Table 17. Assessment status of lakes in the Shell Rock River Watershed. ................................................. 55 Table 18. Fountain Lake growing season means for chl-a and secchi disk transparency. .......................... 57 Table 19. Albert Lea Lake growing for chlorophyll a and secchi disk transparency. .................................. 60 Table 20. Pickeral Lake growing season means for chlorophyll a and secchi disk transparency (2009- 2018). .......................................................................................................................................................... 60 Table 21. White Lake growing season means for chlorophyll a and secchi disk transparency (2009-2018). .................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Table 22. Trends in the Shell Rock River Watershed for Monitoring Station S000-084; At bridge on CSAH- 1, 1 mile west of Gordonsville (SR-1.2), 1961-2009. From MPCA 2014c. ................................................... 63 Table 23. Primary stressors to aquatic life in the biologically impaired reach of the Shell Rock River (MPCA 2014b). ............................................................................................................................................ 64 Table 24. Orthophosphorus: Total Phosphorus ratios for six tributaries in the SRRW, 2009-2011; Ulrich 2014. ........................................................................................................................................................... 78 Table 25. Wedge Creek Subwatershed estimated manure production and estimated phosphorus nutrient value. ........................................................................................................................................................... 80 Table 26. Bancroft Creek Subwatershed estimated manure production and estimated phosphorus nutrient value. ............................................................................................................................................. 80 Table 27. Lake internal load allocations for Shell Rock River Watershed TMDL (RESPEC 2020). ............... 83 Table 28. Factors associated with bacterial presence (MPCA 2015). ......................................................... 84 Table 29: Nonpoint sources in the Shell Rock River Watershed. Relative magnitudes of contributing sources are indicated. ................................................................................................................................. 88 Table 30. Animal units and animal count of registered feedlots in SRRW. ................................................ 90 Table 31. Point sources in the Shell Rock River Watershed........................................................................ 93 Table 32. Range of annual reported parameter loads from SRRW wastewater treatment facilities. ........ 95