A Water Quality Assessment of Select Lakes within the Kawishiwi River Watershed

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) conducts and supports lake monitoring for a variety of objectives. Staff within the MPCA's Lakes and Streams Monitoring Unit sample approximately 100 lakes per year, coordinate citizen volunteer monitoring through the Citizen Lake Monitoring Program, and manage Surface Water Assessment Grants given to local groups to monitor lake and stream water quality. Watershed-based monitoring emphasizes large lakes (500 acres or greater) whenever possible. All water quality data from these activities are compared to state water quality standards to determine if a given lake is fully supporting or not supporting standards set for recreational use (e.g., swimming, wading, etc.). Lakes not supporting aquatic recreational use are termed "impaired" and are placed on a list biennially. This list is formally termed the 303(d) list (referencing the section within the federal Clean Water Act that requires us to assess for condition); it is also commonly called the "Impaired Waters List". A lake placed on the Impaired Waters List is required to be intensively researched through a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study to determine the source and extent of the pollution problem. The study also requires the development of a restoration plan. For unimpaired waters, a protection plan will be developed following the assessment process. It should be noted that a great deal of lake monitoring is also carried out by various other MPCA staff and local groups who are undertaking TMDL studies or other special projects. This report details the assessment of lakes within the Kawishiwi River watershed, using data within the 2000-2009 assessment cycle. The Kawishiwi River watershed is located in northeast Minnesota within Saint Louis, Lake, and Cook Counties, forming part of the Rainy River basin headwaters. The watershed drains 3,185 square kilometers (1,230 square miles) of coniferous and deciduous forest and interconnected lakes, streams, and wetlands. The Kawishiwi River originates in Lake and Cook Counties in the heart of the scenic Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and generally flows west to its confluence with Fall Lake at the town of Winton, Minnesota. The Kawishiwi River watershed is made up of ten Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC)-11 subwatersheds. A general description at the eight-digit HUC level is provided, followed by discussions for each 11- digit HUC. A full list of the assessed lakes, including their morphometric characteristics, is located in Appendix A. To analyze the most recent water quality of lakes within the Kawishiwi River watershed, the Minnesota Lake Eutrophication Analysis Procedures (MINLEAP) model was used; model estimates are located in Appendix B.