Minnesota PROJECTS

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USGS IN YOUR STATE

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

Water Quality and Stream Quality Projects in Minnesota

Current Projects

Real-time water-quality monitoring: (USGS and Shingle Creek Watershed District, MN-DOT, BWSR, others)—The USGS displays and publishes real-time water-quality data according to cooperator and project needs for several parameters including specific conductance, water temperature, pH, DO, and turbidity. Data are available for Shingle Creek, Seguchie Creek, Little Cobb River and others sites here, and are published annually.

MN141--Upper Mississippi NAWQA study unit—has returned to a high-intensity phase. Objectives include describing status and trends in the quality of water  of the Upper Mississippi River Basin’s surface and ground-water resources as it relates to natural and human factors. The project currently focuses on (1) status and trends sampling for surface and ground water, (2) source-water assessments for ground water, (3) a study of methods for relating land use to monitoring-well samples, and (4) a detailed study to better understand nutrient-enrichment effects on stream biological quality. About 60 reports and abstracts have been published by staff involved in the UMIS project.  Some of these studies are described as follows:

MN141--Upper Mississippi NAWQA study unit--Nutrient Synthesis in streams in the Mississippi, Ohio, Red, and Lake Superior Watersheds--The focus of this study is on temporal trends in nutrient and suspended-sediment loads and concentrations in streams. The objectives are to (1) estimate nutrient loads and trends in annual and seasonal loads, (2) determine annual and seasonal trends in nutrient and suspended sediment loads, and concentrations, (3) compile ancillary data on nutrient sources; evaluate and interpret various measures of nutrients sources during the period of record for this study and explain trends in terms of changes of inputs and specific sources, and (4) put results in context of long-term historical records.

MN141--Nutrient Enrichment Effects Topic (NEET):  NAWQA is assessing the effects of nutrient enrichment (nitrogen and phosphorus) on streams in the Upper Mississippi River basin, as part of this national project to provide consistent data and analyses of nutrient conditions, including how these conditions vary as a result of natural and human-related factors, and how nutrient conditions affect biological communities and ecological processes in streams. The eight study areas encompass a diversity of agricultural practices. Information from the study will benefit many stakeholders involved in the development of nutrient criteria to protect the aquatic health of streams in different geographic regions.

MN095--Toxics - Crude Oil Contamination of Ground Water Near Bemidji

MN202--Spatial variation in fish-tissue mercury concentrations in the St. Croix River Basin. (USGS, National Park Service)—Elevated mercury concentrations measured in the fish in the St. Croix River Basin have resulted in fish consumption advisories. This study was conducted in an effort to determine the spatial variation of mercury in game and non-game fish collected at 14 sites in the basin. A descriptive model of mercury in fish was used to normalize fish mercury concentration to a standard species, tissues sampled, and length of fish allowing for a more consistent comparison across sites. This approach will allow the National Park Service to more reliably monitor fish-mercury concentration in the basin and better assess potential health effects of fish consumption to humans and wildlife.

MN222--Effects of Highway 169 expansion on the water-quality of tributaries to Mille Lacs Lake (USGS, MNDOT)—Water-quality and bed-sediments are being sampled in Seguchie Creek and wetland tributaries to Mille Lacs Lake. Sampling is planned to continue during the expansion of Highway 169 adjacent to Mille Lacs Lake. Analyses include nutrients, suspended and bed sediment, major ions and trace metals, (and semi-volatile organic compounds in wetland sediments). Real-time data include streamflow, water temperature and specific conductance at Seguchie Creek (05284305 and 05284310) here. Project may include ground water at later date.

MN226--Mercury In Stream Ecosystems : What controls the movement of mercury from sources to its accumulation in aquatic organisms? The general objective of the Mercury in Stream Ecosystems study is to determine the effects of source strength (how much mercury enters an ecosystem), mercury cycling (especially conversion of inorganic mercury to methylmercury), and food-web interactions on the accumulation of mercury in fish in stream ecosystems. For more information, please see the Mercury in Stream Ecosystems web page.

MN233--Data and analysis  for nutrient criteria development:  Assist MPCA to document relations among nutrients and selected biological response variables such as plankton, chlorophyll a , dissolved-oxygen, and aquatic-community structure in selected rivers.  These relations are important to state water managers for the development of nutrient criteria.  Assistance includes analysis of existing data (retrospective analysis) and field sampling at additional sites to fill information gaps.  Sondes were deployed for two weeks at 12 sites during 2006 for collection of dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, and temperature.

MN234--Effects of land set aside practices on stream quality

MN235--Red River retrospective of nutrients, sediment, and pesticides: in partnership with MPCA to summarize available data on nutrients, suspended sediment, and pesticides in the Red River of the North Basin from 1990-2003. Several state and local agencies monitor water-quality of streams, lakes, and wells for regulatory purposes or ambient monitoring and the Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) commonly collects water-quality samples through contracts with State or local agencies.  This report updates NAWQA report Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4231 by combining data from various sources.

MN240--Alkphenols  in tributaries: This study in partnership with MPCA quantifies the occurrence and persistence of Alkphenols and other potential endocrine disruptors in water and streambed sediment downstream of discharges from waster water treatment plants. Following a multi-tiered approach that expands upon previous studies, we intend to (1) determine the fate (persistence and partitioning) of targeted compounds in three streams receiving wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge, and (2) determine temporal variability at selected streams. St. Cloud State University cooperates on this project by determining the occurrence of  endocrine disruption in fish within selected streams This study will provide information to evaluate streams in Minnesota relative to the proposed EPA criteria.

MN242--Nutrient processes in river backwaters

MN243--St. Croix  River emerging contaminants:  In partnership with the National Park Service, the goal of this study is to demonstrate an  approach to assess effects of  emerging contaminants from waste-water treatment plants on aquatic invertebrates in national parks. USGS staff will conduct controlled life-cycle toxicity studies with a representative aquatic invertebrate organism (daphnia) to estimate the chronic toxicity of selected emerging contaminants. USGS staff also will develop methodology to conduct chronic laboratory toxicity trials with juvenile mussels. 

MN244--Statewide stream sediment studies: The MPCA has established a standard for stream-water quality based on turbidity. Many streams in the State fail to meet this standard. Relating these standards to general stream water quality is problematic in that turbidity can be related to factors including suspended-sediment concentrations, algal concentrations, and water color which can be unique to a stream or can and vary regionally.  Stream discharge is an important component in understanding sediment transport because stream discharge and sediment concentrations are needed to determine loads and yields. USGS scientists, using a network of stream-gaging stations, can provide a framework for routine monitoring to better understanding how various factors affect turbidity and sediment in streams throughout the State. The general goals are to (1) describe sediment concentrations and load and turbidity, as a function of stream flow and season, at selected stream sites, (2) describe relations between mean cross-sectional suspended sediment concentrations and point measurements of water transparency, and (3) provide training about sediment transport processes and sediment sampling techniques for MPCA staff.

MN246--Cass Lake Crude-Oil Spill

MN251--Nutrient Cycling-Kabetogama

MN253--Emerging Contaminants, Lake & Stream Sediment

MN257--Lake Endocrine Disruption

MN258--Sentinel Lakes

MN00331--Amphibian research and monitoring initiative (ARMI) (U.S. Department of the Interior [DOI]) DOI agencies are working together with state and local agencies to (1) monitor long-term trends in amphibian populations, and (2) research causes of amphibian declines and malformations. Water-quality samples were collected at frog-monitoring sites in Voyageurs National Park, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Information collected in this effort will be used by state and local agencies to determine the implications of water quality on amphibians in their regions.

MN245--Effects of biofuels production on water quality - Cedar Creek

Completed Projects

MN183—Effects of Rain gardens on water quality: (USGS, Metropolitan Council) — Rain gardens are increasingly being used across the Nation and around the world as a storm-water management tool to temporarily store, filter, and encourage infiltration of runoff water while providing attractive landscaping. This project is designed to determine the potential benefits of selected rain gardens to remove contaminants from the runoff and thereby mitigate adverse effects on downstream waters. The effects of recharge on shallow ground-water quality also are being investigated. The first part of this study has been completed resulting in the scientific investigations report 2005-5189 'Effects of rain gardens on the quality of water in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota, 2002-04' (SIR 2005-5189). The major findings of that report is that rain gardens reduce the concentrations of many components of runoff and enhance infiltration of water, and generally improve the quality of ground water beneath them. It is important to site rain gardens in locations where the soils are well drained to encourage infiltration. Additional sampling will be conducted during 2005-2007 at three of the sites to determine longer-term effects of rain gardens on water quality.

MN216—Landscape Indicators Project (LIP): In partnership with USEPA, evaluating relations between hydrologic landscapes in the upper Midwest, and pesticides, nutrients, toxic chemicals, and aquatic invertebrates in small streams during base-flow conditions. Sampling was conducted during 2004. Project activities were delayed in 2005 due to funding reductions and have now been suspended. Plans for analysis and reporting are indefinite because of funding uncertainties. (temporarily suspended)