Des Moines River Basin in Minnesota Monitoring and Assessment Report July 2017 The MPCA is reducing printing and mailing costs Authors by using the Internet to distribute reports and MPCA Des Moines River Watersheds Report information to wider audience. Visit our Team: website for more information. Aaron Onsrud, Brenda DeZiel, John Genet, MPCA reports are printed on 100% post- Dereck Richter, Kelli Nerem, Dave Duffey, consumer recycled content paper Bruce Monson, Mike Koschak, Shawn Nelson manufactured without chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Contributors/acknowledgements Citizen Stream Monitoring Program Volunteers Heron Lake Watershed District Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Department of Agriculture 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-ws3-07100001b Contents Contents ............................................................................................................................................ i Tables ...............................................................................................................................................iii Figures ...............................................................................................................................................v List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................. viii Executive summary ............................................................................................................................1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................2 The watershed monitoring approach ....................................................................................................... 3 Assessment methodology ........................................................................................................................ 9 Watershed overview .............................................................................................................................. 13 Watershed-wide data collection methodology ...................................................................................... 27 Individual aggregated 12-HUC subwatershed results ......................................................................... 31 Aggregated 12-HUC subwatersheds ....................................................................................................... 31 Headwaters of the Des Moines River HUC 07100001 ................................................. 32 Lake Shetek Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000102-01 ........................................ 37 Lime Creek Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000103-01 ........................................ 42 Upper Des Moines Headwaters Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000104-01 ........................................ 46 Okabena Creek Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000105-01 ........................................ 50 Elk Creek Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000105-02 ........................................ 53 Jack Creek Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000106-01 ........................................ 57 Tributary to Jack Creek Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000106-02 ........................................ 60 North Branch Jack Creek Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000106-03 ........................................ 64 Heron Lake Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000107-01 ........................................ 68 Lower Des Moines Headwaters Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000108-01 ........................................ 72 Middle Des Moines Headwaters Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000108-02 ........................................ 76 Lower Des Moines River HUC 07100002 ................................................. 80 East Fork Des Moines River HUC 07100003 ................................................. 84 Upper Headwaters East Fork Des Moines River Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000301-02 ............ 88 County Ditch 11 Aggregated 12-HUC HUC 0710000301-03 ........................................ 91 Watershed-wide results and discussion ............................................................................................ 95 Stream water quality .............................................................................................................................. 95 Lake water quality .................................................................................................................................. 99 Fish contaminant results ...................................................................................................................... 100 Pollutant load monitoring..................................................................................................................... 103 Groundwater monitoring ..................................................................................................................... 107 Stream flow .......................................................................................................................................... 109 Wetland condition ................................................................................................................................ 110 Transparency trends for the Des Moines River Basin .......................................................................... 111 Remote sensing for lakes in the Des Moines River Watersheds .......................................................... 112 Watershed maps ................................................................................................................................... 113 i Summaries and recommendations ................................................................................................. 131 Literature cited .............................................................................................................................. 133 Appendix 1 Water chemistry definitions ........................................................................................... 135 Appendix 2.1 Intensive watershed monitoring water chemistry stations in the Des Moines River Watersheds in Minnesota ............................................................................................... 137 Appendix 2.2 Intensive watershed monitoring biological monitoring stations in the Des Moines River Watersheds ............................................................................................................ 138 Appendix 2.22 Intensive watershed monitoring biological monitoring stations in the Des Moines River Watersheds ............................................................................................................ 142 Appendix 2.23 Intensive watershed monitoring biological monitoring stations in the East Fork Des Moines River Watershed ......................................................................................... 142 Appendix 3.1 Minnesota statewide IBI thresholds and confidence limits............................................ 143 Appendix 3.2 Biological monitoring results Headwaters Des Moines River - fish IBI ........................... 144 Appendix 3.22 Biological monitoring results Lower Des Moines River - fish IBI .................................... 148 Appendix 3.23 Biological monitoring results East Fork Des Moines River - fish IBI ................................ 148 Appendix 3.3 Biological monitoring results Headwaters Des Moines River -macroinvertebrate IBI ... 149 Appendix 3.32 Biological monitoring results Lower Des Moines River - macroinvertebrate IBI ............ 152 Appendix 3.33 Biological monitoring results East Fork Des Moines River - macroinvertebrate IBI ....... 153 Appendix 4.1 Fish species found during biological monitoring surveys ............................................... 154 Appendix 4.2 Macroinvertebrate species found during biological monitoring surveys ....................... 156 Appendix 5 Minnesota Stream Habitat Assessment results Headwater Des Moines River .............. 164 Appendix 5.1 Minnesota Stream Habitat Assessment results Lower Des Moines River ...................... 169 Appendix 5.2 Minnesota Stream Habitat Assessment results East Fork Des Moines River ................. 170 ii Tables Table 1. Table of Proposed Tiered Aquatic Life Use Standards. ............................................................. 10 Table 2. Aquatic life and recreation assessments on stream reaches: Beaver Creek Aggregated 12-HUC. ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Table 3. Lake water aquatic recreation assessments: Beaver Creek Aggregated 12-HUC. .................... 33 Table 4. Aquatic life and recreation assessments on stream reaches: Lake Shetek Aggregated 12-HUC. ..................................................................................................................................... 37 Table 5. Lake water aquatic recreation assessments: Lake Shetek Aggregated 12-HUC. ...................... 38 Table 6. Aquatic life and recreation assessments on stream reaches: Lime Creek Aggregated