Otter Tail County Local Water Management Plan August 31, 2009 – August 31, 2019 (Amended 2014) Bayerl Water Prepared by Bayerl Water Resources, with mapping by Otter Tail County GIS Department and BWSR and technical Resources assistance from the LWMP task force TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... I-1 A. Background .........................................................................................................................I ‐1 B. Plan Purpose ...................................................................................................................... I ‐1 C. Description of Priority Concerns .........................................................................................I‐2 D. Consistency with Other Plans ............................................................................................. I ‐2 E. Recommendations to Other Plans and Official Controls .................................................... I ‐3 II. PRIORITY CONCERNS ...................................................................................................... II-1 A. Priority Concerns Identification ................................................................................ II ‐1 1. Surface Water Issues ..................................................................................................................II‐6 a) Water Quality.................................................................................................................... II‐6 Surface Water Assessment and Management Planning.............................................II‐6 LiDAR………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….II-6 Impaired Waters / TMDL.........................................................................................II-7 Data Collection and Lake Association Support ........................................................II‐10 Wetlands and Wildlife Habitat..................................................................................II‐14 Agriculture ................................................................................................................II‐18 Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program……………………………….……………II-24 Soil Health Initiative…………………….………………………………………………………………………II-24 Drainage Water Management………………………………………………………………………….…II-24 Central Minnesota On-Farm Nitrogen Management Program……………………………II-25 Lakescaping…………………………………………………………………………………………………………II-25 Emergent Aquatic Vegetation Mapping....................................................................II‐26 b) Regulatory Issues ............................................................................................................II-27 Shoreland Regulations ..............................................................................................II‐27 Otter Tail County Buffer Initiative………………………………………………………………………..II-27 Platting ......................................................................................................................II‐28 Long‐Range Planning................................................................................................II‐30 Sensitive Areas ..........................................................................................................II-33 Stormwater Regulations ...........................................................................................II-35 Agriculture Rules.......................................................................................................II-39 Aquatic Invasive Species………………………………………………………………………………..……II-39 c) Surface Water Quantity ...................................................................................................II-40 OHWL ........................................................................................................................II-40 2. Groundwater Issues ................................................................................................................II-42 a) Groundwater Quality.........................................................................................................II-42 Nitrates and Arsenic..................................................................................................II-42 Source Water Protection / Wellhead Protection ....................................................II-45 Weather Station Network…………………………………………………………………………………..II-47 Irrigation Scheduler Program……………………………………………………………………………..II-48 Irrigation Education and Outreach……………………………………………………………………..II-48 Irrigation Water Management…………………………………………………………………………..II-48 DNR Observation Well Monitoring……..……………………………………………………………..II-48 Private Well Monitoring………………………………………………..…………………………………..II-48 Sub‐Surface Sewage Treatment Systems................................................................II-49 b) Quantity Issues..................................................................................................................II-52 Precipitation.............................................................................................................II-52 Geology and Soils ....................................................................................................II-54 B. Goals, Objectives and Actions addressing Priority Concerns....................................II-57 i Otter Tail County Local Water Management Plan Surface Water Priority Issues .........................................................................................................II-58 Water Quality Goal..................................................................................................................II-58 Regulatory Issues Goal ............................................................................................................II-68 Groundwater Priority Issues...........................................................................................................II-72 Groundwater Quality Goal ......................................................................................................II-72 Groundwater Quantity Goal....................................................................................................II-76 III. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE .......................................................................................... III-1 Priority Issue: Surface Water Quality....................................................................................... III-1 Priority Issue: Regulatory Issues .............................................................................................. III-6 Priority Issue: Groundwater Quality ........................................................................................ III-7 Priority Issue: Groundwater Quantity...................................................................................... III-9 IV. ON‐GOING PROGRAMS ................................................................................................... IV-1 APPENDIX ...............................................................................................................................A-D Priority Concerns Scoping Document ............................................................................ A-1 – A-17 References……………................................................................................................................................B-1 Additional Plans.................................................................................................................................. C-1 Revision Documents………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………….D-1 ii Otter Tail County Local Water Management Plan LISTING OF MAPS AND TABLES INCLUDED IN PLAN FIGURE TITLE ...................................................................................... SECTION‐PAGE ONE BASE MAP WITH WATERSHED BOUNDARIES......................................................II-2 TWO 2008 LAND USE ...........................................................................................II-4 THREE IMPAIRED WATERS MAP...............................................................................II-8 FOUR CARLSON’S TROPHIC STATE INDEX ..................................................................II-11 FIVE NATIONAL WETLANDS INVENTORY MAP...........................................................II-15 SIX DRAINED WETLANDS INVENTORY MAP ............................................................II-16 SEVEN PUBLIC LANDS SURVEY MAP ..........................................................................II-20 EIGHT 2008 CROPLAND DATA MAP ........................................................................II-22 NINE AQUATIC VEGETATION MAP OF DEAD LAKE ......................................................II-26 TEN SHORELAND BUFFER MAP .............................................................................II-29 ELEVEN TSI / PROPERTY VALUE COMPARISON MAP ......................................................II-31 TWELVE‐FIFTEEN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT STUDY......................................................... II-32 – II-33 SIXTEEN BLUFFS MAP ............................................................................................. .II-34 SEVENTEEN TOPOGRAPHY MAP......................................................................................II-36 Infested Waters………………………………….…..………………………………………………..……….II-40 EIGHTEEN OHWL .................................................................................................... .II-41 NINETEEN