Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) and Total Maximum

Daily Load (TMDLs)

Justin Watkins and Barb Peichel, MPCA

WRAPS & TMDL Schedule

The Watershed Approach

An organizational framework and scheduling approach by which MN meets requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act and the MN Clean Water Legacy Act and added accountability language

MPCA leads/facilitates Local partners provide much of the substance WRAPS are important in pursuing money for

conservation work A Product: WRAPS… >>> next slide

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Watershed Restoration andProtection Strategies Report

A concise useful summary document How are waters doing? What are causes of water quality problems? What are focus areas for:

Making improvements, Protecting good waters?

What are best strategies to restore and protect waters? Who is responsible for doing the work and what is

approximate timeline for doing it?

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WRAPS Components

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Watershed Restoration andProtection Strategies

Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) provide:

How much pollutant reduction or protection is needed to meet standard, achieve goal or improve trend

Where the water pollution problems are coming from (approx. at HUC 12 scale)

Propose a pace of progress. TMDL with WLA and LA that goes to

EPA.

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Local Government Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan will use WRAPS to establish:

How to fix problems or threats (project and practice design)

Priority/Sequence for fixing water problems or threats

Who will have responsibility for fixes

Pursuit of $ resources to accomplish fixes.

Upper Mississippi River Bacteria TMDL Study & Protection Plan Project

Phil Votruba Project Manager, MPCA

Barb Peichel Project Manager, MPCA

Art Persons/Mark WettlauferProject Manager, MPCA

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6/15/2011 runoff event 6/28/2011 low flow 9/29/2011 low flow 4/16/2012 runoff event

Microbial Source Tracking Study (UMN) (Humans + Pets)

Literature Reviews

Priority Source Water Areas for St. Cloud, Minneapolis, and St. Paul Drinking Water Suppliers

Sources of Chloride

Twin Cities Metro Area Chloride Management Project

Brooke Asleson & Rachel Olmanson, MPCA

Thief River Falls Public Drinking Water Supply

Denise Oakes, MPCA

• Source is Red Lake River (class 1C, 2Bd, 3C water) about a mile downstream of the confluence of the Thief River.

Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)

Management of Drinking Water Problem

• Currently, the NWR notifies the City of planned discharges so they can plan for adequate treatment.

• Thief River WRAPS is currently being drafted and will include strategies for reducing sedimentation within the NWR as well as managing the reduction of sediment already present.

• The MPCA is proposing rule changes to change the classification of Thief River to a Class 1C drinking water source.

Little Rock Lake, Benton County MNMaggie Leach, MPCA

MN Nutrient Reduction Strategy, Justin Watkins, MPCA

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Long-standing attention in city, county plansLong-standing attention

in city, county plans

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[….]

[….] [….]

Drinking Water in WRAPS: SE MN ExampleConditions, Targeting, Strategies

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Strategies: Nitrogen BMP Tool

Questions?www.pca.state.mn.us/water