Reports and Studies

2016 - Bonanza Valley Groundwater Management Area Plan

Groundwater is at risk of overuse and contamination throughout the state, and this risk is a more urgent issue in some specific areas of the state. To address concerns about long-term sustainable use of groundwater in these areas, the DNR is defining Groundwater Management Areas (GWMA) and developing management plans. The purpose of the GWMA Plan (Plan) is to guide DNR actions in managing the appropriation and use of groundwater within the GWMA over the five years following adoption of the Plan. The DNR will update the Plan as needed, to allow it to continue guiding sustainable groundwater use beyond the initial five years addressed in this first version of the Plan. Bonanza Valley Groundwater Management Area Plan.

2014 - Watershed Restoration and Project Strategies (WRAPS) Report

Minnesota has adopted a “watershed approach” to address the state’s 81 “major” watersheds (denoted by 8-digit hydrologic unit code or HUC). This approach looks at the drainage area as a whole instead of focusing on lakes and stream sections one at a time, thus increasing effectiveness and efficiency. This watershed approach incorporates the following activities into a 10-year cycle:

2012 - Rice Lake Excess Nutrient TMDL

Rice Lake is a 1,651 acre lake within the lower region of the North Fork Crow River Watershed District (NFCRWD). The NFCRWD extends over an area of about 350 square miles and encompasses 48 miles of the North Fork Crow River. Land use in the watershed is primarily agricultural. The lake accepts drainage from Pope, Stearns, and Kandiyohi Counties.

Due to the lake being above the state standards for its ecoregion, it is designated as impaired and will be required to meet the state standard of a mean total phosphorus concentration of 0.040 mg/L, a Secchi depth of 1.4 meters, and a chlorophyll-a concentration of 14 ug/L. The goal of this study will be to allocate loads and establish activities which allow the lake reach this goal and be delisted.

2011 - North Fork Crow River Watershed Biotic Stressor ID Report

Completed in 2014, this report summarizes the key causes, or “stressors,” contributing to impaired fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in the North Fork Crow River. The report looked at issues related to loss of habitat due to stream channelization, elevated concentrations of total suspended solids (usually sediment), loss of habitat due to fine sediment deposition, toxicity or stress from nitrogen, pesticides and chloride, dissolved oxygen concentrations and loss of connectivity within the system.

2011 - Koronis Lake Report

Lake Koronis is located 1 mile south of Paynesville, MN in Stearns County and covers 2,958 acres.

Water quality data have been collected on Lake Koronis since 1950. These data show that the lake is eutrophic (see page 9). Eutrophic lakes are usually shallow and have "green" water throughout the summer with some possible larger algae blooms in late summer.