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Upper Lower Red Lake Watershed

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Upper Lower Red Lake Watershed Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Report June 2017 Authors The MPCA is reducing printing and mailing costs MPCA Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed Report by using the Internet to distribute reports and Team: information to wider audience. Visit our website Dave Dollinger, Nate Sather, Joseph Hadash, Mike for more information. Bourdaghs, David Duffey, Kevin Stroom, Bruce Monson, Shawn Nelson, Andrew Streitz, Sophia MPCA reports are printed on 100% post-consumer Vaughan, Andrew Butzer recycled content paper manufactured without chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Contributors / acknowledgements Citizen Stream Monitoring Program Volunteers Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Department of Agriculture Red Lake Department of Natural Resources Red Lake Watershed District Project dollars provided by the Clean Water Fund (from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment). Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 520 Lafayette Road North | Saint Paul, MN 55155-4194 | 651-296-6300 | 800-657-3864 | Or use your preferred relay service. | [email protected] This report is available in alternative formats upon request, and online at www.pca.state.mn.us. Document number: wq-ws3-09020302b Contents List of Acronyms ..................................................................................................................................................... i Executive summary ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 2 The watershed monitoring approach ............................................................................................................... 3 Assessment methodology ................................................................................................................................. 7 Watershed overview ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Watershed-wide data collection methodology .............................................................................................. 41 Individual aggregated 12-HUC subwatershed results ......................................................................................... 45 Aggregated 12-HUC subwatersheds .............................................................................................................. 45 Sandy River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030208-01 .......................................................................... 46 Lower Red Lake Frontal Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030207-01 .......................................................... 51 Mud River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030207-02............................................................................. 61 Blackduck River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030206-01 ..................................................................... 66 South Cormorant River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030206-03 .......................................................... 72 North Cormorant River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030206-02 .......................................................... 76 Battle River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030205-01 .......................................................................... 79 Lower Red Lake Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030209-01 ..................................................................... 84 Shotley Brook Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030204-02 ........................................................................ 87 Tamarac River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030201-02 ....................................................................... 90 Lost River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030201-03 ............................................................................. 93 Tamarac River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030201-01 ....................................................................... 97 Deer River – Frontal Upper Red Lake Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030202-02 ..................................... 101 Upper Red Lake Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030204-01 ................................................................... 104 Upper Red Lake Frontal 12-HUC HUC 0902030202-01 ............................................................................... 106 Manomin Creek Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0902030203-01 .................................................................. 108 Watershed-wide results and discussion ........................................................................................................... 110 Stream water quality .................................................................................................................................... 110 Lake water quality ........................................................................................................................................ 112 Fish contaminant results .............................................................................................................................. 113 Groundwater monitoring ............................................................................................................................. 118 Transparency trends for the Upper and Lower Red Lake Watershed ........................................................... 126 Remote sensing for lakes in the Upper and Lower Red Lake Watershed ..................................................... 126 Summaries and recommendations ................................................................................................................... 128 Literature cited ................................................................................................................................................. 131 Appendix 1 – Water chemistry definitions ................................................................................................... 134 Appendix 2.1 – Intensive watershed monitoring water chemistry stations in the Upper and Lower Red Lake Watershed .................................................................................................................................................... 135 Appendix 2.2 – Intensive watershed monitoring biological monitoring stations in the Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed .................................................................................................................................................... 136 Appendix 3.1 – Minnesota statewide IBI thresholds and confidence limits ................................................. 138 Appendix 3.2 – Biological monitoring results – fish IBI (assessable reaches) ............................................... 139 Appendix 3.3 – Biological monitoring results-macroinvertebrate IBI (assessable reaches) ......................... 142 Appendix 4.1 – Fish species found during biological monitoring surveys ..................................................... 144 Appendix 4.2 – Macroinvertebrate species found during biological monitoring surveys ............................ 145 Appendix 5 – Minnesota Stream Habitat Assessment results ...................................................................... 152 Figures Figure 1. The Intensive Watershed Monitoring Design. ....................................................................................... 4 Figure 2. Intensive Watershed Monitoring Sites for Streams in the Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed. ........... 5 Figure 3. Monitoring Locations of Local Groups, Citizens and the MPCA Lake Monitoring Staff in the Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed. ..................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 4. Flowchart of aquatic life use assessment process. .............................................................................. 11 Figure 5. The Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed lies within the Northern Minnesota Wetlands Ecoregion, Northern Lakes and Forests Ecoregion, and Northern Central Hardwood Forests Ecoregion. .......................... 13 Figure 6. Land Use in the Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed. ........................................................................... 16 Figure 7. Map of Percent Modified Streams by Major Watershed (8-HUC). ...................................................... 19 Figure 8. Statewide Precipitation Total (left) and Precipitation Departure (right) during 2014. (Source: MDNR State Climatology Office, 2015) ................................................................................................ 20 Figure 9. Precipitation Trends in North Central Minnesota (1995-2014) with 5-Year Running Average (Source: WRCC, 2016). ........................................................................................................................................ 21 Figure 10. Precipitation Trends in North Central Minnesota (1915-2014) with 10-Year Running Average (Source: WRCC, 2016). ........................................................................................................................................ 21 Figure 11. Quaternary Geology (left) and Bedrock Geology Rock Types (right) within Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed (GIS Source: Hobbs & Goebel, 1982; Morey & Meints, 2000). ....................................................... 23 Figure 12. Pollution Sensitivity of Near-Surface Materials
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