Lake Superior —North Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report August 2018 wq-ws4-51a Project Partners This WRAPS builds on the collaboration and stakeholder input processes that supported the Lake Superior North One Watershed, One Plan that was completed in 2016. This was led by Dan Schutte from the Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District and Ilena Hansel from the Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District. Support was provided to the plan process by a significant group of stakeholders and natural resource collaborators. In addition, a Core Team supported WRAPS development and included representatives from various state and federal agencies, local governments, non-profit groups and local land owners. Board of Water and Soil Resources Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District Cook County Zoning and Environmental Services Cook County Coalition of Lake Associations FluteReed River Watershed Partnership Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District Minnesota Department of Agriculture Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Minnesota Pollution Control Agency St Croix River Watershed Research Station Tetra Tech U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service ii Table of Contents Project Partners................................ ......................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... iii Key Terms ................................................................................................................................................ vii Abbreviations and Acronyms ................................................................................................................. viii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... x What is the WRAPS Report?.................................................................................................................... xii 1. Watershed Background and Description ......................................................................... 1 2. Watershed Conditions .................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Condition Status ............................................................................................................................ 5 Streams ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Lakes.................................................................................................................................................... 13 Beaches ............................................................................................................................................... 17 2.2 Water Quality Trends .................................................................................................................. 19 Streams ............................................................................................................................................... 19 Lakes.................................................................................................................................................... 20 Beaches ............................................................................................................................................... 23 2.3 Stressors and Sources .................................................................................................................. 27 2.4 TMDL Summary ........................................................................................................................... 28 2.5 Protection Considerations ........................................................................................................... 29 Watershed Protection ......................................................................................................................... 29 Prioritizing Lakes and Streams for Protection ..................................................................................... 50 3. Prioritizing and Implementing Restoration and Protection ............................................ 55 3.1 Targeting of Geographic Areas ................................................................................................... 55 3.2 Civic Engagement ........................................................................................................................ 58 iii Accomplishments and Future Plans .................................................................................................... 59 Public Notice for Comments ............................................................................................................... 60 3.3 Restoration & Protection Strategies ........................................................................................... 60 4. Monitoring Plan ............................................................................................................ 65 Existing Monitoring Efforts ................................................................................................................. 65 Monitoring Needs ............................................................................................................................... 66 5. References and Further Information ............................................................................. 68 Appendix A. TMDL Summaries ............................................................................................. 70 Appendix B. Lake Prioritization Ranks .................................................................................. 72 Figures Figure 1. WRAPS 10-year cycle. .................................................................................................................. xii Figure 2. LSN Watershed project area. Note: Poplar River remains listed as impaired until officially approved for removal by EPA. The most recent draft list submitted to EPA proposes it for removal as an impaired water. ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Figure 3. Land cover in the LSN Watershed. ................................................................................................. 4 Figure 4. E. coli exceedances of the maximum criterion (235 org/100 mL) in nearshore Lake Superior. .. 18 Figure 5. Total suspended solids concentrations (Apr–Sep) by year on the downstream reach of the Poplar River (AUID 04010101-613) ............................................................................................................. 20 Figure 6. E. coli average concentrations at beaches, ordered from southwest to northeast (2003–2016). .................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 7. E. coli concentrations at Grand Marais beaches. ......................................................................... 25 Figure 8. Near shore monitoring sites near Grand Marais. ........................................................................ 26 Figure 9. Secchi transparency by year at Lake Superior near shore monitoring sites near Grand Marais. 26 Figure 10. Total phosphorus concentrations by year at Lake Superior near shore monitoring sites near Grand Marais. ............................................................................................................................................. 27 Figure 11. Percent impervious area by HUC12. .......................................................................................... 32 iv Figure 12. Population densities by HUC12. ................................................................................................. 33 Figure 13. Road density by HUC12. ............................................................................................................. 34 Figure 14. Total stream crossings by HUC12. ............................................................................................. 35 Figure 15. Aggregate sources. ..................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 16. Percent private land ownership by HUC12. ............................................................................... 37 Figure 17. State parks, recreation areas and waysides............................................................................... 38 Figure 18. Number of high erosion risk bluffs by HUC12............................................................................ 39 Figure 19. Stability of clay soils. .................................................................................................................. 40 Figure 20. Groundwater susceptibility in the LSN Watershed. ................................................................... 41 Figure 21. Designated aquatic invasive species infested waters. ............................................................... 42 Figure 22. Lakes of biological significance. ................................................................................................