Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District

How is the water in Crow Wing County?

Surface water quality data for Crow Wing County can be found at the following sites:

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/data/eda/search.cfm

RMB Environmental Laboratories: http://www.rmbel.info/Reports/ReportsQuery.aspx

A.W. Research Laboratories: http://www.awlab.com/Client.htm

What can you do?

University of Minnesota Extension Shoreland BMP Guide

What are we doing?

Click here to view the 2008 Comprehensive Local Water Plan.

What else are we doing?

Surface Water Assessment Grants: First funded in 2007 by the Minnesota Legislature, Surface Water Assessment Grants (SWAG) provided the SWCD and citizen volunteers with funds to complete the monitoring needed to meet assessment requirements on Minnesota lakes and streams. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) administered the grant program.

2007-2008 Lakes Monitored: Camp (18-0018-00), Clearwater (18-0038-00), Crow Wing (18-0155), Arbor/Goose (18-0080),Gull (11-0218), Nisswa (18-0399), Portage (18-0050), Rabbit (18-0093), Ross (18-0165), Shirt Lake (18-0072), Stark (18-0169), White Sand (18-0379), Crooked (18-041-2), Hanks (18-044), Perch (18-371), Portsmouth Mine (18-0437), Roy (18-398), Sugar Bay (18-041-1), West Twin (18-167).

Volunteers use an integrated sampler to take surface water samples on lakes. Volunteers use Secci Disks to get readings of water clarity. They take 3 samples to insure accuracy. The secci disk is lowered into the water until it is no longer seen, the volunteer then raises it to the point that it reappears and measures the distance between that point and the surface of the water.

All volunteers record data and the information that may be a factor for extreme variations in data. the time the samples were taken, the weather conditions (wind, temperature, and cloud cover), and activities or events in the previous day or even week that may influence the data such as rainfall and recreational activity on the lake. For example, there may be a correlation between high boat activity and one weekend and a large algae bloom the following week.

The following lakes are eligible: Big Trout, Cedar, Mille Lacs Watershed (list of lakes in CWC), Gull, East and West Fox, Serpent, Crosslake, Rush, and Pelican Lake.