Island Lake Total Maximum Daily Load Big Fork Watershed

This Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study addresses the nutrient impairment of Island Lake (Assessment Unit ID [AUID] 31-0913) in the Big Fork River Watershed. Island Lake is on the western border of the Big Fork Watershed in the 61 square mile Island Lake-Popple River Subwatershed (12-HUC.) This lake does not meet Minnesota's water quality standards because of excessive nutrient concentrations and nuisance algal blooms. Phosphorus is the nutrient of focus for this TMDL. Excess phosphorus can cause algal blooms, shifts in lake biological responses (fisheries and aquatic plants) and strongly affects swimmable and fishable beneficial uses. The goal of this TMDL is to quantify the pollutant sources and reductions needed for Island Lake to meet state water quality standards. The findings from this TMDL study aided the selection of implementation activities as part of the Big Fork River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) process. The purpose of the WRAPS report is to support local working groups and jointly develop scientifically supported restoration and protection strategies for subsequent implementation planning. The WRAPS report will be publically available on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA's) Big Fork River Watershed Webpage (https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/watersheds/big-fork-river).