Crow Wing County Lake Reports and Water Plans

Post date: Jan 27, 2016 8:29:33 PM

Reports attached from summer water testing and the Crow Wing County Water and AIS plan for 2016.

The report is long - but really quite interesting. There is solid data now that helps drive lake improvement plans throughout the County. Mike Valentine continues to work with a variety of agencies to see that Crow Wing Lake is able to take advantage of programs and monitoring dollars that may be out there for us to access. Thank you Mike!

Randy Bunney also noted:

Crow Wing Lake Association members may be interested to know that the Nature Conservancy (TNC) recently created the $10 million Minnesota Headwaters Fund. This "privately-funded investment to support [TNC's] work to accomplish high-impact conservation of Mississippi River watersheds in Minnesota to ensure clean water is available for people, business and nature.

"A water fund is an agreement that allows downstream water users to invest in upstream conservation actions that provide benefits, including clean drinking water for communities and aquatic habitat for fish and wildlife," according to TNC

"The Mississippi River directly supplies drinking water to almost 1 million people in the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. Its water-rich basin is also important for agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, tourism and recreation, all key sectors of Minnesota’s economy.".

Doug Shaw, assistant state director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, is leading the water fund effort. He notes that "Right now, water in the basin is relatively clean and inexpensive."

He notes, however, "water quality in rivers and lakes is being degraded by nutrients and sediment as surrounding lands are converted to urban and agricultural uses. As a result, communities are struggling with higher water treatment costs.

"In the Crow Wing River in central Minnesota, for example, a recent study showed that even modest changes in land use can have profound effects on the amount of contaminants in the water that must be treated. In the study, a 4.5 percent increase in the acreage of agricultural lands increased nitrate levels in the river 19 percent."