Beebe Lake has been declared an Impared Lake

As if Eurasian Water Milfoil and Curly-leaf Pondweed were not enough for us to deal with, we now have a new concern regarding the quality of Beebe Lake:

Beebe Lake has been declared by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as an “Impaired Lake”

What does this mean? It means that Beebe Lake does not meet water quality standards and designated uses because of pollutant(s), pollution, or unknown causes of impairment!

The federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires states to adopt water-quality standards to protect waters from pollution. These standards define how much of a pollutant can be in the water and still allow it to meet designated uses, such as drinking water, fishing and swimming.

The standards are set on a wide range of pollutants, including bacteria, nutrients, turbidity and mercury. A water body is “impaired” if it fails to meet one or more water quality standards.

To identify and restore impaired waters, Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires states to:

1. Assess all waters of the state to determine if they meet water-quality standards
2. List waters that do not meet standards (also known as the 303d List) and update every even-numbered year
3. Conduct TMDL studies in order to set pollutant reduction goals needed to restore waters.
4. Federal and state regulations and programs also require implementation of restoration measures to meet TMDLs.

MPCA responsibilities include performing assessment activities, listing impaired waters, and conducting TMDLs in Minnesota. The agency also coordinates closely with other state and local agencies on restoration activities.

The Clean Water Legacy Act, passed in June 2006, allocates first-year funding to accelerate water monitoring, TMDL development and restoration activities throughout the state. The Clean Water Council was established by the Legacy Act to provide recommendations on the administration and implementation of the Act.

If the Beebe Lake Association completes a Lake Management Plan it could apply for county, state and federal funds to help manage and improve water quality.

For more information, attend The Beebe Lake Strategic Visioning Session on April 12th, or visit: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/index.html