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Minnesota River - Mankato Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies

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Minnesota River - Mankato Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies Minnesota River - Mankato Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies January 2020 wq-ws4-63a Authors Joanne Boettcher and Bryan Spindler Contributions and Review Ashley Ignatius, Abdiwahid Yusuf, Breeanna Bateman, Wayne Cords, Scott MacLean, Rachel Olmanson, Kristi Kalk, Angus Vaughan, Kim Laing, Dan Fettig WRAPS Feedback Group Amy Clyde, Nicollet County Heidi Rauenhorst, Hawk Creek Watershed Project Holly Kalbus, LeSueur County Michael Schultz, LeSueur SWCD Holly Hatlewick, Renville SWCD Eric Miller, Nicollet SWCD Diane Mitchell, Renville County Ronald Otto, Sibley SWCD Dave Bucklin, Cottonwood SWCD Alan Gleisner, Brown SWCD Julie Conrad, Blue Earth County Kurt Mathiowetz, Redwood SWCD Jon Lore, DNR Cody Dale, Renville SWCD Brooke Hacker, DNR Melanie Krueger, Brown SWCD Brady Swanson, DNR Joshua Mankowski, LeSueur County Garry Bennett, DNR Amanda Strommer, MDH Taralee Latozke, DNR Jennifer Mocol-Johnson, BWSR John Knisley, Brown County Those with disabilities limiting their ability to access report information may contact the MPCA Watershed Project manager to provide alternate formats that suit their needs. Minnesota River - Mankato Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies 2 Table of Contents Glossary ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... 7 1 Introduction and Background ............................................................................................................ 9 1.1 Watershed Approach and WRAPS ...................................................................................... 9 1.2 Watershed Description .................................................................................................... 10 1.3 Assessing Water Quality .................................................................................................. 14 Water Quality Standards ..................................................................................... 14 Water Quality Assessment .................................................................................. 14 Monitoring Plan .................................................................................................. 14 Computer Modeling ............................................................................................ 15 2 Water Quality Conditions ................................................................................................................ 16 2.1 Conditions Overview ....................................................................................................... 17 Status Overview .................................................................................................. 17 Trends Overview ................................................................................................. 18 Sources Overview ............................................................................................... 20 Goals & Targets Overview ................................................................................... 28 2.2 Identified Pollutants and Stressors .................................................................................. 31 Altered Hydrology ............................................................................................... 32 Nitrogen ............................................................................................................. 37 Connectivity ........................................................................................................ 47 Phosphorus ......................................................................................................... 49 Dissolved Oxygen .............................................................................................. 56 Sediment/TSS...................................................................................................... 59 Temperature...................................................................................................... 64 Bacteria.............................................................................................................. 66 3 Restoration & Protection................................................................................................................. 72 3.1 Scientifically-Supported Strategies to Restore and Protect Waters .................................. 72 Agricultural BMPs ............................................................................................. 72 Urban, Residential, and Septic System BMPs .................................................... 73 Stream and Ravine Erosion Control .................................................................. 73 Culverts, Bridges, and Connectivity Barriers .................................................... 73 Lake Watershed Improvement ......................................................................... 73 Computer Model Results ................................................................................... 73 3.2 Social Dimension of Restoration and Protection .............................................................. 74 Civic Engagement Project Summaries .................................................................. 75 Opportunities and Constraints ............................................................................ 77 3.3 Selected Strategies to Restore and Protect Waters .......................................................... 78 Protection Considerations................................................................................. 79 Prioritizing and Targeting .................................................................................... 80 4 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 89 4.1 Watershed Conditions and Background Information – Related Appendices ..................... 89 4.2 Source Assessment – Related Appendices ....................................................................... 97 4.3 Water Quality Goals– Related Appendices ..................................................................... 106 4.4 Strategies & Priorities – Related Appendices.................................................................. 109 4.5 References .................................................................................................................... 127 Minnesota River - Mankato Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies 3 Glossary Altered hydrology (USGS 2014b): Changes in the amount of and way that water moves through the landscape. Examples of altered hydrology include changes in: river flow, precipitation, subsurface drainage, impervious surfaces, wetlands, river paths, vegetation, and soil conditions. These changes can be climate- or human-caused. Animal Units (AU): A term typically used in feedlot regulatory language. One AU is roughly equivalent to 1,000 pounds of animal, but varies depending on the specific animal. Assessment Unit Identifier (AUID): The unique waterbody identifier for each river reach comprised of the USGS eight-digit HUC plus a three-character code unique within each HUC. The “AUID-3” used to label streams in this report is that three-character code. Also see ‘stream reach’ Aquatic consumption impairment: Streams are impaired for impacts to aquatic consumption when the tissue of fishes from the waterbody contains unsafe levels of a human-impacting pollutant. The Minnesota Department of Health provides safe consumption limits. Aquatic recreation impairment: Streams are considered impaired for impacts to aquatic recreation if fecal bacteria standards are not met. Lakes are considered impaired for impacts to aquatic recreation if total phosphorus, chlorophyll-a, or Secchi disc depth standards are not met. Biological Impairment (bio-impaired): A biological impairment is an impairment to the aquatic life beneficial use due to a low fish and/or bug IBI score. Civic Engagement (CE): CE is a subset public participation (IAP2 2007) where decision makers involve, collaborate, or empower citizens in the decision making process. The University of Minnesota Extension (2013) provides information on CE and defines CE as “Making resourceful decisions and taking collective action on public issues through processes that involve public discussion, reflection, and collaboration.” Designated (or Beneficial) Use: Water bodies are assigned a designated use based on how the waterbody is used. Typical beneficial uses include: drinking, swimming, fishing, fish consumption, agricultural uses, and limited uses. Water quality standards for pollutants or other parameters are developed to determine if water bodies are meeting their designated use. Flow-weighted Mean Concentration (FWMC): The total mass of a pollutant delivered (by water) over a set period of time by the total volume of water over that same period of time. Typical units are: lbs/ac-ft or grams/m3 Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A GIS or geographical information system (GIS) is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of spatial or geographical data. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_information_system Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC): Assigned by the USGS for each watershed. HUCs are organized in a nested hierarchy by size. For example, the Minnesota River Basin is assigned a
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