Lower Minnesota River Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Plan

Water quality in the Minnesota River Basin is at risk for several reasons: • Sediment – clouds the water, limits light on the bottom causing plants not to thrive, destroys fish and aquatic organism habitat and spawning beds and discourages recreational use of the water. • Bacteria – indicates the presence of disease-causing organisms that can make people ill. • Phosphorus – encourages algae growth; as algae dies and decays, it uses oxygen in the water resulting in lower dissolved oxygen levels. This project – the Lower Minnesota River Dissolved Oxygen TMDL Implementation Plan – addresses only the phosphorus issue. Sediment is being addressed through a Minnesota River Turbidity TMDL now underway. TMDL projects to address bacteria are underway in the Blue Earth, Watonwan, Le Sueur, Yellow Medicine, and Chippewa River Watershed