Monitoring Program
Purpose:
Provide a scientific basis for identifying and evaluating water quality issues and implementing solutions to improve water quality within the watershed.
Justification:
The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization is charged with protecting water quality within the watershed pursuant to Minnesota Statutes Chapter 103B.201 and Minnesota Rules 8410.003 that established the Joint and Cooperative Agreement between the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization’s member organizations. Minnesota Rules Chapter 7050 requires that all water bodies comply with water quality standards. Furthermore, section 303D of the federal Clean Water Act requires states to develop total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for waters with impaired uses. The Mississippi River, within the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization’s boundaries, is listed on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s “Polluted Waters” list. Water quality monitoring provides scientific data to ascertain where and how best management practices (BMPs) can be implemented to effectively achieve TMDLs.
Objectives:
- Monitor water quality within the watershed
- baseline data to characterize water quality and identify pollutants that exceed water quality standards
- pollutants listed on the Minnesota “Polluted Waters” list for the TMDL process
- Develop and agree upon a standardized set of parameters, sample collection, data analysis, and reporting standards for monitoring in the watershed
- Develop partnerships with other organizations and/or agencies inside and outside the watershed boundaries to improve water quality in the Mississippi River
- Develop land use impacts on water quality
- Following watershed resources assessment and inventory, monitor biological, chemical, and physical parameters
Program Cycle:
Determined annually based on monitoring needs.
Audience / Partnerships:
Other organizations interested in the monitoring data may include other watershed districts, governmental units, and nonprofit organizations.
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