z c LeSueur River Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Report March 2012 Acknowledgements MPCA Watershed Report Development Team: Bryan Spindler, Pat Baskfield, Kelly O’Hara, Dan Helwig, Louise Hotka, Stephen Thompson, Tony Dingmann, Kim Laing, Bruce Monson and Kris Parson Contributors: Citizen Lake Monitoring Program volunteers Citizen Stream Monitoring Program Volunteers Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Department of Agriculture Minnesota State University, Mankato Water Resource Center Project dollars provided by the Clean Water Fund (from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment). March 2012 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 520 Lafayette Road North | Saint Paul, MN 55155-4194 | www.pca.State.mn.us | 651-296-6300 Toll free 800-657-3864 | TTY 651-282-5332 This report is available in alternative formats upon request, and online at www.pca.State.mn.us Document number: wq-ws3-07020011b Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................. 1 I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 2 II. The Watershed Monitoring Approach ........................................................................................................................... 3 Load monitoring network ....................................................................................................................................................... 3 Intensive watershed monitoring ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Lake monitoring ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Citizen and local monitoring ................................................................................................................................................... 7 III. Assessment Methodology ............................................................................................................................................10 Water quality standards ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 Assessment units .................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Determining use attainment status...................................................................................................................................... 11 Data management ................................................................................................................................................................ 12 Period of record ................................................................................................................................................................... 12 IV. The LeSueur River Watershed Overview .......................................................................................................................14 Land use summary ............................................................................................................................................................... 14 Surface water hydrology ...................................................................................................................................................... 16 Precipitation and climate in the LeSueur River Watershed .................................................................................................. 17 Surficial and groundwater withdrawals ............................................................................................................................... 18 V. Watershed-Wide Data Collection Methodology............................................................................................................19 Load monitoring ................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Stream water sampling ........................................................................................................................................................ 19 Stream biological sampling .................................................................................................................................................. 19 Lake water sampling ............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Fish contaminants ................................................................................................................................................................ 20 VI. Individual Watershed Results .......................................................................................................................................21 HUC-11 watershed units ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 Stream assessment .............................................................................................................................................................. 22 Stream habitat results .......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Outlet water chemistry results ............................................................................................................................................. 22 Lake water chemistry ........................................................................................................................................................... 23 LeSueur River Watershed Unit - HUC ............................................................................................................................23 Watershed description ......................................................................................................................................................... 23 Watershed summary ............................................................................................................................................................ 30 Boot Creek Watershed Unit - HUC 07020011020 ..........................................................................................................34 Watershed description ......................................................................................................................................................... 34 Lake Water Aquatic Recreation Assessment for the Boot Creek 11 HUC .......................................................................38 Boot Creek Watershed Unit Summary ..........................................................................................................................38 Little LeSueur River Watershed Unit – HUC 07020011030 .............................................................................................40 Watershed description ......................................................................................................................................................... 40 Water chemistry assessments on assessed AUIDs in the Little LeSueur 11 HUC ................................................................. 40 Non-assessed biological stations on channelized AUIDs in the Little LeSueur River 11 HUC ............................................... 40 Outlet stream water chemistry for the Little LeSueur River 11 HUC .................................................................................... 41 Lake water aquatic recreation assessment for the Little LeSueur 11 HUC ........................................................................... 41 Little LeSueur watershed unit summary .............................................................................................................................. 41 Janesville Village Watershed Unit – HUC 07020011040 .................................................................................................43 Watershed description ......................................................................................................................................................... 43 Watershed summary ............................................................................................................................................................ 48 Madison Lake Watershed Unit HUC 07020011050 .......................................................................................................52 Watershed description ......................................................................................................................................................... 52 Water chemistry assessments on assessed AUIDs in the Madison Lake 11 HUC ................................................................. 52 Non-assessed biological stations on channelized AUIDs in the Madison Lake 11 HUC .......................................................