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Surface Water Assessment Grant:
First funded in 2007, by the Minnesota Legislature, Surface
Water Assessment Grants (SWAG) provided the District and
citizen volunteers with funds to complete the monitoring
needed to meet
assessment
requirements
on Minnesota lakes and streams. The Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency (MPCA) administered the grant program.
2007-2008 Lakes Monitored:
Camp (18-0018-00), Clearwater (18-0038-00), Crow Wing (18-0155),Arbor/Goose
(18-0080),Gull (11-0218), Nisswa (18-0399), Portage
(18-0050), Rabbit (18-0093), Ross (18-0165), Shirt Lake
(18-0072), Stark (18-0169), White Sand (18-0379), Crooked
(18-041-2),Hanks (18-044), Perch (18-371), Portsmouth Mine
(18-0437),Roy (18-398), Sugar Bay (18-041-1),West Twin
( 18-167)
Volunteers using a
integrated sampler, which is used for tracking chemical
changes to the lake. The data is used for informed decision
making regarding land use., education, and more.
***To find Individual Lake
Reports visit
RMB Labs website
2008-2009 Lake Data
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TSI
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Attributes
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Fisheries & Recreation
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<30
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Oligotrophy:
Clear water, oxygen throughout the year at the
bottom of the lake, very deep cold water.
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Trout fisheries dominate.
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30-40
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Bottom of shallower lakes may become anoxic (no
oxygen).
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Trout fisheries in deep lakes only. Walleye,
Tullibee present.
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40-50
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Mesotrophy:
Water moderately clear most of the summer. May be
"greener" in late summer.
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No oxygen at the bottom of the lake results in loss
of trout. Walleye may predominate.
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50-60
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Eutrophy:
Algae and aquatic plant problems possible. "Green"
water most of the year.
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Warm-water fisheries only. Bass may dominate.
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60-70
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Blue-green algae dominate, algal scums and aquatic
plant problems.
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Dense algae and aquatic plants. Low water clarity
may discourage swimming and boating.
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70-80
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Hypereutrophy:
Dense algae and aquatic plants.
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Water is not suitable for recreation.
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>80
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Algal scums, few aquatic plants.
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Rough fish (carp) dominate; summer fish kills
possible.
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Source:
Carlson, R.E. 1997. A trophic state index for lakes.
Limnology and
Oceanography. 22:361-369.
Surface Water Quality Data
for Crow Wing County can be found at the following sites:
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency-http://www.pca.state.mn.us/data/eda/search.cfm
RMB
Environmental Laboratories, Inc.-http://www.rmbel.info/Reports/ReportsQuery.aspx
A. W.
Research Laboratories, Inc.
-http://www.awlab.com/Client.htm
 Volunteers
use Secci Disks to get readings of water clarity. They take
3 samples to insure accuracy. The secci disk is lowered into
the water until it is no longer seen, the volunteer then
raises it to the point that it reappears and measures the
distance and measures the distance between that point and
the surface of the water.
Click here to view the
2008 Comprehensive Local Water Plan
Minutes of the Water Plan Implementation Committee:
Shoreland Best Management Practices
Follow this
link to view actions that property owners can take to help
protect water quality
University of Minnesota Extension
Shorleland BMP Guide
 All
volunteers record data and the information that may be a
factor for extreme variations in data. the time the samples
were taken, the weather conditions (wind, temperature,
and cloud cover), and activities or events in the previous
day or even week that may influence the data such as
rainfall and recreational activity on the lake. For example,
there may be a correlation between high boat activity and
one weekend and a large algae bloom the following week.
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