While the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) added 581 new water bodies to the state’s impaired waters list, it is proposing to remove four water bodies from the list including Sleepy Eye Lake, pictured.

SLEEPY EYE — While the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) added 581 new water bodies to the state’s impaired waters list, it is proposing to remove four water bodies from the list including Sleepy Eye Lake.

The MPCA reported restoration work improved water quality in the lake so current nutrient levels are low enough to meet recreational standards.

“It is good news. It’s a wonderful thing,” said Sleepy Eye Mayor Wayne Pelzel. “That’s one of the impacts of dredging. It improves water quality and reduces weed growth.”

Pelzel said discussions are underway with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on doing work in the slough behind (north of) of St. Mary’s School .

“A good share of the lake sediment comes from the slough that gets drainage from the north end of Sleepy Eye and farm land north of Sleepy Eye,” Pelzel said. “If the slough is working properly, it will filter only good water through (to the lake). But the slough is filling in, so more unfiltered water is coming into the lake.”

Pelzel said discussions are underway about pushing some of the mud out of the slough so it filters water better.

“The DNR and construction people say they can push some of the mud out of the slough,” Pelzel said. “We’re told it would work best to push mud from the slough after it freezes about a foot under ground level, perhaps in January. We plan to go in there and get sediment borings there this winter and talk with the DNR about it.”

Pelzel said a Caterpillar with a wider track would be able to work on frozen land and wouldn’t sink much into the mud.

“It’s exciting to hear that the water quality is improving. I think people that use the land are excited that it’s moving in the right direction,” Pelzel said.

Other water bodies the MPCA is proposing to remove from the impaired waters list are Faille Lake in Todd County, Waverly Lake in Wright County due to nutrient levels low enough to meet recreational standards.

The MPCA news release reported Plum Creek in Stearns County now has bacteria levels low enough to meet recreational goals.

Meanwhile, the MPCA added 581 new water bodies with 728 new impairments to the state impaired waters list, bodies of water that don’t meet water quality standards.

Select additions to the 2020 impaired waters list included the Cottonwood River in Lyon and Redwood Counties and the western edge of Brown County, the Blue Earth River south of Mankato through Blue Earth County and Faribault County, nearly to the Iowa border; the Chippewa River in Swift County, the North Fork Crow River in Stearns, the northeastern edge of Kandiyohi and Meeker County, Devils Lake in Otter Tail County, Pokegama Lake in Pine County and the St. Croix River northeast of the Twin Cities metro area.

The 2020 impaired waters list includes water bodies in 14 watersheds:

• 368 steams and 56 lakes that fail to adequately support fish and other aquatic life.

• 69 streams and 1 Lake Superior beach with bacterial levels high enough to potentially sicken recreational users.

• 51 lakes and 3 streams with high nutrient levels including phosphorus and nitrogen.

• 32 water bodies with excess mercury levels in fish tissues.

The MPCA will hold 4 public meetings to discuss the content of the 2020 Impaired Waters List with special focus on waters assessed in the region in the last 2 years.

A meeting with the Mankato MPCA, 12 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 2165 begins at 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 12. Meetings will be recorded and posted at the MPCA website afterward for viewing.

Public comments on the 2020 Impaired Waters List and Assessment Guidance Manual will be accepted from Nov. 12, 2019 through Jan. 14, 2020 at 4 p.m. All comments and agency responses will be forwarded to the Environmental Protectional Agency (EPA) along with the proposed list and accompanying documentation for their review and approval.

Submit written comments to miranda.nichols@state.mn.us or Miranda Nichols, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Rd., N., St. Paul, MN 55155. Must provide a return address.

For more information, visit https://www.pca.state.mn.uswater/minnesotas-impaired-waters-list.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.