Cloquet River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy Report

This WRAPS report addresses the Cloquet River Watershed, which spans 793 square miles in St. Louis and Lake Counties in the northeastern corner of the state. The watershed is upstream of the St. Louis River Watershed, and is also located upstream of the St. Louis River Estuary Area of Concern (AOC). There are over 180 lakes in the Cloquet River Watershed, many of which contain wild rice, a culturally significant food source to the Lake Superior Chippewa (also known as Ojibwe). Boulder Lake Reservoir, Island Lake Reservoir, Wild Rice Lake, and Fish Lake Reservoir are currently used for the operation of a hydroelectric power plant on the St. Louis River. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) assessed lakes and streams in the watershed to identify impaired waters and waters in need of protection. Of these, only Hellwig Creek and Bear Trap Creek were found to be biologically impaired; the causes of impairment are related to poor physical habitat and loss of connectivity. Petrel Creek and Sand Lake were also found to be impaired, however, due to natural causes. There are no conventional pollutant-related impairments in the Cloquet River Watershed. As such, no Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) were developed during this process. The MPCA; however, has developed a plan to complete a mercury TMDL for the St. Louis River and Cloquet River watershed. The Cloquet River WRAPS focuses heavily on protection-related efforts and strategies.