Ee IZAAK WALTON LEAGUE CEDAR RIVER WATERSHED PROJECT t ebuary 2018 Goal: Fishable, swimmable waters throughout the watershed, as called for by the Clean Water Act, passed 45 years ago. 2017 STREAM MONITORING rt OL "The Cedar River is designated and promoted as a Water Recreation Route, ‘encouraging boating, swimming and other water based activites 40 volunteers sampled over a 19-week period from late June to easly October. 83 sites, 498 samples ftom across the | watershed. | intestate eal 21 DNA tests from 7 sites indicated | es Data indicate tha the city oF Austin is not the souree, =leaak Walton League Upper Mississippi River initiative Cedar River Monitoring and Clean-up Our Findings In 2017, forty volunteer stream monitors drew almost 300 samples fom 83 sites across the Cedar River watershed and tested for e-ol, an indicator of fecal contamination, Seventy percent ofthe samples had e-coll contamination which exceeded human health Standacds for body contact swimming, wading, boating, etc] [After majr rainstorms, we consistently found extremely high e-cll readings on most streams ‘and tlbutaries at SX, 20%, 20X or more of the standard. This indicates tous that the rains flushing e-olon the land, andin tie Ines and ditches into the streams. Limited DNA testing indicated at last thre sources fr the fecal contamination: swine, cattle and humans, \We have no reason to believe that our results are nat reflective of the conditions of the other streams and rivers of our county and region, \We are concetned about the health of children and aduite who enjoy our streams, rivers and lakes, and request an urgent effort by all members of our community to adress this and other related sources of pollution, (Our requests ‘Hormel corporation and partners in the Cedar River Partnership have already been requested to take a lead in addressing contamination coming fom hog rearing and related manure spreading, ‘The Mower County Soll and Water Conservation Distt shouldbe provided the resources to ‘work with smaller (unregulated) cattle feeding operations to encourage best practices to move cattle and manure ples away from waterways to reduce fecal contamination from these sources Mower County should immediately notify the estimated 1700 home owners across the county ‘with questionable sewage disposal that they wil be required to verify tha thelr systems are up tw standards, and if ot, to bring them upto today's standards forthe good ofthe community. = We support pubic assistance for lower incame individuals to comply with this necessary upgrade which protects usal, = We urgently request that all uch homes along both north and south Dobbins Creek he equied to bein compliance by December 31%, 2038, because both the Hormel Nature Cente and Eastside Lake are water recreation areas of high use by ou children. ‘We request that al homes throughout the county be required to he in compliance by December 31", 2020,Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Regional Division Impaired Waters Program Detroit Lakes area: 2iasar 1819 Brainora ares: 2iaman-2402 Dutt aoa Biwras-a Moto are: ‘sie 6200 Solkeree Number aonesr-anee Revised Regional TMDL Evaluation of Fecal Coliform Bacteria Impairments in the Lower Mississippi River Basin ‘Water Quaity/mpaied Waters #9.02a, August 2005 ‘The federal Clean Water Act and the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Wator ‘Quality Planning ‘and Management Regulations require slates to develop “Total Maximum Daily Loads (CEMDLs) for water boos that do not meet water quality standards. ‘The TMDL process establishes the allowable level ‘ofpollutans for ‘water body based ‘on the relationship between pollutant sources ‘and water conditions. Development of a TMDL. Report provides a bass for determining the pollutant reductions necessary from point and nonpoint sourees to restore and maintain the quality of water resources. “Thity-nine stream reeches in the Lower “Mississippi and Cedar River Basins are impaired for swimming use, Fecal coliform levels in these reaches violate Minnesota water duality standards. The purpose of his 2005 ‘TMDL Report iso revise 2002 TMDL. developed for fecal coliform impaizment nthe same geographic area, ‘Lower Mississippi River Basin ‘Cadar River Bain 2002 Report 1.2002, the MPCA submited a repo ted, Regional Total Maximum Daily Load Evaluation of Fecal Coliform Bacteria Impairment inthe Lower Missing River ‘Basin in Minnesoa tothe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report satisfied ‘the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act or 20 stream reaches in the Lower Mississippi ‘and Cedar River basins. The rina reports Available for review onthe MPCA web sit at np pom state mn. waternde ht inlfinalimdl The report was approved bythe EPA in November 2002 decision hat was later challenged by the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA). wepivd.020 innescta Paton Conte Agoey, 60 Lafayete Road Nor, St.Paul Menesta 56155-4104 (651) 2966300 fot fe (00) 87-2868, Ty (8%) 283-889 cr (200 a4 ‘Ti materia ane made malin ates formats for peop win abies,