Shingle Creek and Bass Creek Biota and Dissolved Oxygen TMDL Implementation Plan

The Shingle and Bass Creek Biota and Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Plan addresses biotic integrity and dissolved oxygen (DO) impairments on Shingle Creek (HUC 07010206-506) and its tributary Bass Creek (HUC 07010206-784) (see Figure 1.1). Bass Creek is the outlet of Bass Lake, and is about 2.4 miles long. Bass Creek is formed at the outlet weir that controls the level of Boulder Ridge Pond, the last in a series of wetlands downstream of Bass Lake. Shingle Creek is formed at the confluence of Bass Creek and Eagle Creek in Brooklyn Park, and flows 11 miles through Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, and Minneapolis, where it discharges into the Mississippi River. The Shingle Creek watershed is located within the Upper Mississippi River basin. The Shingle Creek Watershed Management Commission (SCWMC or Commission) has completed a TMDL analysis for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to quantify the reduction in oxygen-demanding substances needed to meet State water quality standards for dissolved oxygen in Shingle Creek in accordance with Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. The TMDL also identifies additional stressors affecting the biotic integrity of Bass and Shingle Creeks – altered hydrology, lack of habitat, loss of connectedness, and ionic strength (chloride). The previously-completed Shingle Creek Chloride TMDL and Implementation Plan identify the load reductions necessary to reduce chloride concentrations in Shingle Creek. The final step in the TMDL process is the development of an Implementation Plan that sets forth the activities that will be undertaken to increase dissolved oxygen and improve biotic integrity. This Implementation Plan provides a brief overview of the TMDL findings; describes the principles guiding this Implementation Plan; describes the proposed implementation activities and estimates of their costs; and discusses sequencing, timing, and lead agencies and organizations for the activities.