Watershed February 2020 Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report Authors and Contributors Emily Zanon, MPCA Ashley Ignatius, MPCA Bill Thompson, MPCA Justin Watkins, MPCA Joe Magee, MPCA Jason Carlson, DNR Jennifer Ronnenberg, MDH Angie Knish, Mower Co. James Fett, Mower Co. SWCD Justin Hanson, Mower Co. SWCD Antonio Arenas Amado, Iowa Flood Center/IIHR Cover photo credit: Joe Magee 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-ws4-67a Contents Contents ................................................................................................................................................. 3 List of tables............................................................................................................................................ 3 List of figures .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Key terms and abbreviations .................................................................................................................. 5 Executive summary ................................................................................................................................. 6 What is the WRAPS Report? ............................................................................................................................. 8 1. Watershed background and description ......................................................................................... 9 2. Watershed conditions ................................................................................................................... 15 2.1. Programs to Monitor Water Quality Conditions ..................................................................................... 15 2.2. Condition Status ...................................................................................................................................... 16 2.3. Water quality trends ............................................................................................................................... 19 2.4. GHOST Modeled Conditions .................................................................................................................... 20 2.5. Stressors and Sources .............................................................................................................................. 20 2.6. TMDL summary ....................................................................................................................................... 35 3. Prioritizing and implementing restoration and protection ............................................................ 37 3.1 Targeting of geographic areas ............................................................................................................ 37 3.2 Civic engagement and Partner Participation...................................................................................... 46 3.3 Restoration and protection strategies ............................................................................................... 47 4. Monitoring .................................................................................................................................... 51 5. References .................................................................................................................................... 53 List of tables Table 1. HGM Wetland Classification in the UWRW. .............................................................................. 12 Table 2. Wetland vegetation condition by major ecoregions based on floristic quality (MPCA 2015). ..... 16 Table 3. Aquatic life and recreation assessments on stream reaches: Upper Wapsipinicon River Aggregated 12-HUC. .............................................................................................................................. 17 Table 4. Biologically impaired AUID in the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ................................. 21 Table 5. Summary of stressor to aquatic life in the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. .................... 21 Table 6. Factors associated with bacterial presence (MPCA 2015).......................................................... 30 Table 7. Upper Wapsipinicon River E. coli TMDL. ................................................................................... 36 Table 8. Suitable practices to address water quality impairments in the UWRW. ................................... 42 Table 9: Additional Tools Available for Restoration and Protection of Waters within the UWRW. .......... 45 Table 10. UWRW WRAPS and TMDL meetings. ...................................................................................... 46 Table 11. BMP Tool spreadsheet output for Nitrogen reduction. ........................................................... 47 Table 12. BMP Tool spreadsheet output for Phosphorus reduction. ....................................................... 48 Upper Wapsipinicon River WRAPS Report Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 3 Table 13: Strategies and actions proposed for the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ..................... 49 Table 14. Timelines for meeting UWRW restoration goals. .................................................................... 51 List of figures Figure 1. Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed (NRCS Rapid Watershed Assessment; NRCS 2016). ......... 9 Figure 2. Major Land Resources Areas in the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ............................. 10 Figure 3. Land cover in the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ........................................................ 11 Figure 4. Wetland inventory in the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ............................................ 12 Figure 5. Altered watercourses in the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ........................................ 13 Figure 6. Pollution sensitivity of near surface materials; DNR Watershed Context Report, September 2017. ..................................................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 7. Impaired waters in the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ................................................ 18 Figure 8. Section "01-WPS-354" of the Upper Wapsipinicon River listed as impaired by IADNR. ............. 19 Figure 9. Causes of changes in river flow. Schottler et al 2013. .............................................................. 22 Figure 10. Estimated density of agricultural drainage in the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ....... 23 Figure 11. Estimated nitrogen sources to surface waters from the Minnesota contributing areas of the Lower Mississippi River Basin (avg. precipitation year); MPCA 2013....................................................... 24 Figure 12. The nitrogen cycle; Cates 2019. ............................................................................................. 25 Figure 13. USDA 2016 Crop Data Layer for Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ................................. 26 Figure 14. Nitrogen inputs to agricultural soils (state-wide); MPCA 2019. .............................................. 27 Figure 15. Nitrogen sources in the Cedar River Basin; MPCA, 2019. ....................................................... 28 Figure 16. Nitrate concentrations for UWRW monitoring station S008-409, 2015 - 2016. ...................... 29 Figure 17. Effect of cropping system on nitrogen loss (UMN). ................................................................ 29 Figure 18. Monthly precipitation totals and E. coli concentrations in the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 19. E. coli concentrations sampled in the UWRW. ....................................................................... 32 Figure 20. E. coli concentrations and monthly geomean in relation to projected flows of the Upper Wapsipinicon River. ............................................................................................................................... 33 Figure 21. Registered animal feedlots and primary species within the Upper Wapsipinicon River Watershed. ........................................................................................................................................... 34 Figure 22. Manure application setback distances around sensitive landscape features. MPCA, 2011. .... 35 Figure 23. E. coli load duration curve, Upper Wapsipinicon River (07080102-507). ................................ 36 Figure 24. Index points and runoff coefficient analysis for the Upper Wapsipinicon Watershed. IFC/IIHR 2019 ...................................................................................................................................................... 38 Figure 25. Average peak discharge reduction (%) for the UWRW native vegetation scenario. IFC/IIHR 2019. ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 Figure 26. Average peak discharge reduction (%) for the UWRW cover crop/no