Council relies on volunteers to monitor water quality
Latest lake report shows small share of lakes get top grad es
A popular Minnesota slogan — “land of sky blue waters” — conjures images of pristine lakes and streams. But many lakes in the metro area don’t make the grade when it comes to water quality.
Cecilia and Harry Martin monitor water quality for the Council on Lake St. Croix.
A Metropolitan Council report on lake water quality reveals that just seven percent of 201 lake sites assessed by the Council’s staff and volunteer monitoring programs in 2006 earned an “A” grade. Twenty-four percent earned an A or B, meaning they scored better than average among lakes in the seven-county region.
Lakes catch polluted runoff
The Minnesota Legislature requires the Metropolitan Council to assess the quality of the region’s waters, including lakes, rivers and streams that may be affected by nonpoint source pollution. Unlike pollution from industrial and wastewater treatment plants, nonpoint pollution comes from many diffuse sources. It occurs primarily when runoff from rainfall or snowmelt picks up and carries pollutants like:
- Pet waste
- Leaves and grass clippings
- Lawn and automotive chemicals
The runoff deposits the pollutants in lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands, increasing nutrients in the water and fueling plant and algae growth.
Monitoring relies on volunteers
According to Kent Johnson, manager of the Council’s water quality assessment unit, the breadth of the Council’s monitoring program relies on its Citizen Assisted Monitoring Program (CAMP). CAMP is a volunteer effort that in 2006 included:
- 18 watershed management organizations
- 15 cities
- 2 counties
- A basin planning group and a lake association
“We’re extremely grateful for the ongoing efforts of the CAMP volunteers, who have significantly expanded the Council’s capability to assess regional lake water quality,” Johnson said. Council staff monitored 13 sites on 11 lakes in 2006, while CAMP volunteers sampled 188 sites on 178 lakes. Both staff and volunteers assessed three lakes.
The 2006 report summary identifies the region’s “best 10” and “worst 10” among lakes in the Council’s CAMP program that are larger than 50 acres. Little Carnelian Lake in Stillwater Township took top honors — volunteers could see, on average, objects 22 feet below the surface.
Lake-specific results available
Read the 2006 Lake Water Quality Summary Report (pdf) online; the full report — A 2006 Study of the Water Quality of 186 Metropolitan Area Lakes — will be online by June. The reports are also available through the Council’s Data Center, 651-602-1140. The Council’s lake monitoring data — along with much more environmental information — is available through the Council's online Environmental Information Management System (EIMS).
Water quality monitoring is conducted by watershed districts, counties and other agencies on many other lakes in the region than those in the Council report. People who are interested in a lake that is not in the Council report may wish to contact their city, county or local watershed organization to request data.
Volunteers interested in lake monitoring may contact Johnson, 651-602-8117 or email kent.johnson@metc.state.mn.us.
Consumers make a difference
Individuals, homeowner organizations, service clubs and neighborhood groups can help improve and protect the region’s water quality. Key actions include collecting pet wastes, grass clippings and fallen leaves. Research conducted for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) found that grass clippings from each acre of lawn can add almost six pounds of phosphorus to nearby waters per growing season.
See additional recommendations for yard care in a previous Directions newsletter article.
To learn more, see:
- Volunteer Stream Monitoring (University of Minnesota)
- Rain Gardens: A How-to Manual (University of Wisconsin)
- Phosphorus in Lawns, Landscapes and Lakes (Minnesota Department of Agriculture)
- Protect Water Quality and Reduce Pesticide Use (Audubon Society)
- Adopt Your Watershed (United States Environmental Protection Agency)
- Lawn Care Almanac (Cornell University)
- Backyard Nutrient Management (Natural Resources Conservation Service)