Placid Lake CROW WING COUNTY

Transcription

1 Placid Lake CROW WING COUNTY Lake Water Quality Summary Placid Lake is located 5 miles south of Deerwood, MN in Crow Wing County. It is a long lake covering 185 acres (Table 1). Placid Lake has no inlets or outlets, which classify it as a groundwater seepage lake. Lakes without outlets can experience swings in water levels due to precipitation. Water quality data have been collected on Placid Lake from (Tables 2 & 3). These data show that the lake is mesotrophic (TSI = 42) with clear water conditions most of the summer and excellent recreational opportunities. Placid Lake has an organized association that is involved in activities such as water quality monitoring and education. Table 1. Placid Lake location and key physical characteristics. Location Data MN Lake ID: County: Crow Wing Ecoregion: Northern Lakes and Forests Major Drainage Basin: Mississippi R. Brainerd Latitude/Longitude: / Invasive Species: None (as of 214) Physical Characteristics Surface area (acres): Littoral area (acres): 33.5 % Littoral area: 18.1 Max depth (ft), (m): 21., 6.4 Inlets: Outlets: Public Accesses: 1 Table 2. Availability of primary data types for Placid Lake. Data Availability Transparency data Excellent data set from Chemical data Good data set from 21-23, but not enough for trend analysis. Recommendations For recommendations refer to page 18. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 1 of Placid Lake

2 Lake Map Figure 1. Map of Placid Lake with 21 aerial imagery and sample site locations, inlets and outlets, and public access points. Table 3. Monitoring programs and associated monitoring sites. Monitoring programs include the Citizen Lake Monitoring Program (CLMP), Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Outdoor Corps (OC). Lake Site Depth (ft) Monitoring Programs 21 CLMP: 2-214; MPCA: 1982; OC: RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 2 of Placid Lake

3 Average Water Quality Statistics The information below describes available chemical data for Placid Lake through 214 (Table 4). Data for total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, and Secchi depth are from the primary site 21. Minnesota is divided into 7 ecoregions based on land use, vegetation, precipitation and geology. The MPCA has developed a way to determine the "average range" of water quality expected for lakes in each ecoregion. For more information on ecoregions and expected water quality ranges, see page 11. Placid Lake is in the Northern Lakes and Forests Ecoregion. Table 4. Water quality means compared to ecoregion ranges and impaired waters standard. Impaired Parameter Mean Ecoregion Range 1 Waters Standard 2 Total phosphorus (ug/l) > 3 3 Chlorophyll a (ug/l) > 9 Chlorophyll a max (ug/l) 14. < 15 Secchi depth (ft) < 6.5 Interpretation Results are within the expected range for the Northern Lakes and Forests Ecoregion. Dissolved oxygen See page 8 Dissolved oxygen depth profiles show that the lake mixes periodically in summer. Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (mg/l) NA <.4.75 No data available. Alkalinity (mg/l) NA 4 14 No data available. Color (Pt-Co Units) NA 1 35 No data available. ph Within the expected range for the ecoregion. Lake water ph less than 6.5 can affect fish spawning and the solubility of metals in the water. Chloride (mg/l) NA No data available. Total Suspended Solids (mg/l) NA <1 2 No data available. Conductivity (umhos/cm) Within the expected range for the ecoregion. TN:TP Ratio NA 25:1-35:1 No nitrogen data available. 1 The ecoregion range is the 25 th -75 th percentile of summer means from ecoregion reference lakes 2 For further information regarding the Impaired Waters Assessment program, refer to 3 Chlorophyll a measurements have been corrected for pheophytin Units: 1 mg/l (ppm) = 1, ug/l (ppb) RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 3 of Placid Lake

4 Water Quality Characteristics - Historical Means and Ranges Table 5. Water quality means and ranges for primary sites. Primary Parameters Site 21 Total Phosphorus Mean (ug/l): 16.9 Total Phosphorus Min: 5. Total Phosphorus Max: 21. Number of Observations: 14 Chlorophyll a Mean (ug/l): 4.2 Chlorophyll-a Min: 1. Chlorophyll-a Max: 14. Number of Observations: 14 Secchi Depth Mean (ft): 15.8 Secchi Depth Min: 5.5 Secchi Depth Max: 27. Number of Observations: 158 Figure Figure 2. Placid 2. Lake Lake insert total total phosphorus, phosphorus, chlorophyll chlorophyll a and a and transparency transparency historical historical ranges. ranges. The The arrow arrow represents represents the the range range and and the the black black dot dot represents represents the the historical historical mean mean (Primary (Primary Site Site 21). xxx). Figure Figure adapted adapted after Moore and Thornton, [Ed.] Lake and Reservoir Restoration Guidance Manual. (Doc. No. EPA 44/5-88-2) after Moore and Thornton, [Ed.] Lake and Reservoir Restoration Guidance Manual. (Doc. No. EPA 44/5-88-2) RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 4 of Placid Lake

5 Transparency (Secchi Depth) Transparency is how easily light can pass through a substance. In lakes it is how deep sunlight penetrates through the water. Plants and algae need sunlight to grow, so they are only able to grow in areas of lakes where the sun penetrates. Water transparency depends on the amount of particles in the water. An increase in particulates results in a decrease in transparency. The transparency varies year to year due to changes in weather, precipitation, lake use, flooding, temperature, lake levels, etc. The annual mean transparency in Placid Lake ranges from 11.4 to 18.2 feet (Figure 3). The annual means hover fairly close to the long-term mean. For trend analysis, see page 1. Transparency monitoring should be continued annually at site 21 in order to track water quality changes Transparency and Precipitation Secchi Depth (ft) Precipitation Secchi Mean Precipitation (in) Date Figure 3. Annual mean transparency compared to long-term mean transparency. Placid Lake transparency ranges from 5.5 to 27. ft at the primary site (21). Figure 4 shows the seasonal transparency dynamics. The maximum Secchi reading is usually obtained in early summer. Placid Lake transparency is high in May and June, and then declines through August. This transparency dynamic is typical of a Minnesota lake. The dynamics have to do with algae and zooplankton population dynamics, and lake turnover. It is important for lake residents to understand the seasonal transparency dynamics in their lake so that they are not worried about why their transparency is lower in August than it is in June. It is typical for a lake to vary in transparency throughout the summer. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 5 of Placid Lake

6 Secchi Depth (ft) Seasonal Transparency Dynamics Figure 4. Seasonal transparency dynamics and year to year comparison (Primary Site 21). The black line represents the pattern in the data. User Perceptions When volunteers collect Secchi depth readings, they record their perceptions of the water based on the physical appearance and the recreational suitability. These perceptions can be compared to water quality parameters to see how the lake "user" would experience the lake at that time. Looking at transparency data, as the Secchi depth decreases the perception of the lake's physical appearance rating decreases. Placid Lake was rated as being "not quite crystal clear" 59% of the time by samplers at site 21 between 2 and 214 (Figure 5). 6% Physical Appearance Rating 35% Crystal clear water 35% 59% Not quite crystal clear a little algae visible 6% Definite algae green, yellow, or brown color apparent 59% % High algae levels with limited clarity and/or mild odor apparent % Severely high algae levels Figure 5. Placid Lake physical appearance ratings by samplers. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 6 of Placid Lake

7 As the Secchi depth decreases, the perception of recreational suitability of the lake decreases. Placid Lake was rated as being "beautiful" 7% of the time from 2 to 214 (Figure 6). 4% 2% Recreational Suitability Rating 7% Beautiful, could not be better 24% 24% Very minor aesthetic problems; excellent for swimming, boating 4% Swimming and aesthetic enjoyment of the lake slightly impaired because of algae levels 7% 2% Desire to swim and level of enjoyment of the lake substantially reduced because of algae levels % Swimming and aesthetic enjoyment of the lake nearly impossible because of algae levels Figure 6. Recreational suitability rating, as rated by the volunteer monitor. Total Phosphorus Placid Lake is phosphorus limited, which means that algae and aquatic plant growth is dependent upon available phosphorus Eutrophic Total Phosphorus Total phosphorus was evaluated in Placid Lake in The data do not indicate much seasonal variability. The majority of the data points fall into the mesotrophic/oligotrophic border (Figure 7). Phosphorus should continue to be monitored to track any future changes in water quality. Total Phosphorus (ug/l) Mesotrophic Oligotrophic Figure 7. Historical total phosphorus concentrations (ug/l) for Placid Lake site 22. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 7 of Placid Lake

8 Chlorophyll a Chlorophyll a is the pigment that makes plants and algae green. Chlorophyll a is tested in lakes to determine the algae concentration or how "green" the water is. Chlorophyll a concentrations greater than 1 ug/l are perceived as a mild algae bloom, while concentrations greater than 2 ug/l are perceived as a nuisance. Figure 8. Chlorophyll a concentrations (ug/l) for Placid Lake at site 22. Chlorophyll a was evaluated in Placid Lake in 1982, (Figure 8). Chlorophyll a concentrations were below 1 ug/l in all three years, indicating clear water. There was not much variation over the years monitored and chlorophyll a concentrations remained relatively steady over the summer. Dissolved Oxygen Chlorophyll a (ul/l) Chlorophyll a Minor Algae Depth (m) Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l) Dissolved Oxygen (DO) is the amount of oxygen dissolved in lake water. Oxygen is necessary for all living organisms to survive except for some bacteria. Living organisms breathe in oxygen that is dissolved in the water. Dissolved oxygen levels of <5 mg/l are typically avoided by game fisheries. Placid Lake is a relatively shallow lake, with a maximum depth of 21 feet. Dissolved oxygen profiles from data collected in 23 show periodic stratification developing mid-summer (Figure 9). In a shallow lake, the water column never completely stratifies. Any windy day can mix up the water column causing phosphorus from the anoxic lake bottom to re-suspend into the water. This phenomenon is known as internal loading Figure 9. Dissolved oxygen profile for Placid Lake. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 8 of Placid Lake

9 Trophic State Index (TSI) TSI is a standard measure or means for calculating the trophic status or productivity of a lake. More specifically, it is the total weight of living algae (algae biomass) in a waterbody at a specific location and time. Three variables, chlorophyll a, Secchi depth, and total phosphorus, independently estimate algal biomass. Phosphorus (nutrients), chlorophyll a (algae concentration) and Secchi depth (transparency) are related. As phosphorus increases, there is more food available for algae, resulting in increased algal concentrations. When algal concentrations increase, the water becomes less transparent and the Secchi depth decreases. If all three TSI numbers are within a few points of each other, they are strongly related. If they are different, there are other dynamics influencing the lake s productivity, and TSI mean should not be reported for the lake. The mean TSI for Placid Lake falls into the mesotrophic range (Figure 1). Placid Lake There is good agreement between the TSI for phosphorus, chlorophyll a, indicating that these variables are strongly related (Table 6). The TSI for transparency is lower, but it could be because there many more years of transparency data than phosphorus and chlorophyll a data. Mesotrophic lakes (TSI 5-7) are characterized by moderately clear water most of the summer. "Meso" means middle or mid; therefore, mesotrophic means a Table 6. Trophic State Index for Placid. Trophic State Index Site 21 TSI Total Phosphorus 45 TSI Chlorophyll-a 45 TSI Secchi 37 TSI Mean 42 Trophic State: Mesotrophic Numbers represent the mean TSI for each parameter. Hypereutrophic Eutrophic Mesotrophic Oligotrophic medium amount of productivity. Mesotrophic lakes are commonly found in central Minnesota and have clear water with algal blooms in late summer (Table 7). Table 7. Trophic state index attributes and their corresponding fisheries and recreation characteristics. TSI Attributes Fisheries & Recreation <3 Oligotrophy: Clear water, oxygen throughout Trout fisheries dominate the year at the bottom of the lake, very deep cold water. 3-4 Bottom of shallower lakes may become anoxic (no oxygen). Trout fisheries in deep lakes only. Walleye, Cisco present. 4-5 Mesotrophy: Water moderately clear most of the summer. May be "greener" in late summer. No oxygen at the bottom of the lake results in loss of trout. Walleye may predominate. 5-6 Eutrophy: Algae and aquatic plant problems possible. "Green" water most of the year. Warm-water fisheries only. Bass may dominate. 6-7 Blue-green algae dominate, algal scums and aquatic plant problems. Dense algae and aquatic plants. Low water clarity may discourage swimming and boating. 7-8 Hypereutrophy: Dense algae and aquatic Water is not suitable for recreation. plants. >8 Algal scums, few aquatic plants Rough fish (carp) dominate; summer fish kills possible Source: Carlson, R.E A trophic state index for lakes. Limnology and Oceanography. 22: RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 9 of Placid Lake Figure 1. Trophic state index chart with corresponding trophic status.

10 Trend Analysis For detecting trends, a minimum of 8-1 years of data with 4 or more readings per season are recommended. Minimum confidence accepted by the MPCA is 9%. This means that there is a 9% chance that the data are showing a true trend and a 1% chance that the trend is a random result of the data. Only short-term trends can be determined with just a few years of data, because there can be different wet years and dry years, water levels, weather, etc, that affect the water quality naturally. Placid Lake had enough data to perform a trend analysis on transparency (Table 8). The data was analyzed using the Mann Kendall Trend Analysis. Table 8. Trend analysis for site 22. Lake Site Parameter Date Range Trend 21 Total Phosphorus Insufficient data 21 Chlorophyll a Insufficient data 21 Transparency No trend 3 Transparency Trend for Placid Lake Secchi Depth (ft) /3/2 8/3/2 9/21/2 6/22/21 7/25/21 9/5/21 5/26/22 6/28/22 7/26/22 9/16/22 7/2/23 8/12/23 5/28/24 7/2/24 1/6/24 8/1/25 5/26/26 7/25/26 6/19/27 8/2/27 6/23/28 8/6/28 6/9/29 8/28/29 7/5/21 9/1/21 6/24/211 8/14/211 7/14/212 9/21/212 7/29/213 5/28/214 9/4/214 Figure 11. Transparency (feet) trend for site 22 from Placid Lake shows no evidence of a transparency trend (Figure 11). This means the water quality is stable. Transparency monitoring should continue so that this trend can be tracked in future years. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 1 of Placid Lake

11 Ecoregion Comparisons Minnesota is divided into 7 ecoregions based on land use, vegetation, precipitation and geology (Figure 12). The MPCA has developed a way to determine the "average range" of water quality expected for lakes in each ecoregion. From , the MPCA evaluated the lake water quality for reference lakes. These reference lakes are not considered pristine, but are considered to have little human impact and therefore are representative of the typical lakes within the ecoregion. The "average range" refers to the 25 th - 75 th percentile range for data within each ecoregion. For the purpose of this graphical representation, the means of the reference lake data sets were used. Placid Lake is in the Northern Lakes and Forest Ecoregion. The mean total phosphorus, chlorophyll a and transparency (Secchi depth) for Placid Lake are within the ecoregion ranges (Figure 13). Figure 12. Minnesota Ecoregions Total Phosphorus (ug/l, ppb) Chlorophyll-a (ug/l, ppb) Secchi depth (ft) increased algae crystal clear NLF Ecoregion Placid NLF Ecoregion Placid 3 NLF Ecoregion Placid Figure 13. Placid Lake ranges compared to Northern Lakes and Forest Ecoregion ranges. The Placid Lake total phosphorus and chlorophyll a ranges are from 14 data points collected in May-September of The Placid Lake Secchi depth range is from 158 data points collected in May-September of RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 11 of Placid Lake

12 Lakeshed Data and Interpretations Lakeshed Understanding a lakeshed requires an understanding of basic hydrology. A watershed is defined as all land and water surface area that contribute excess water to a defined point. The MN DNR has delineated three basic scales of watersheds (from large to small): 1) basins, 2) major watersheds, and 3) minor watersheds. The Mississippi River-Brainerd Major Watershed is one of the watersheds that make up the Upper Mississippi Basin, which drains south to the Gulf of Mexico (Figure 14). This major watershed is made up of 128 minor watersheds. Placid Lake is located in minor watershed 191 (Figure 15). Figure 14. Miss. River-Brainerd Major Watershed. Figure 15. Minor Watershed. The MN DNR also has evaluated catchments for each individual lake with greater than 1 acres surface area. These lakesheds (catchments) are the building blocks for the larger scale watersheds. Placid Lake falls within lakeshed 1911 (Figure 16). Though very useful for displaying the land and water that contribute directly to a lake, lakesheds are not always true watersheds because they may not show the water flowing into a lake from upstream streams or rivers. While some lakes may have only one or two upstream lakesheds draining into them, others may be connected to a large number of lakesheds, reflecting a larger drainage area via stream or river networks. For further discussion of Placid Lake s watershed, containing all the lakesheds upstream of the Placid Lake lakeshed, see page 17. The data interpretation of the Figure 16. Placid Lake lakeshed (1911) with land ownership, lakes, wetlands, and rivers illustrated. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 12 of Placid Lake

13 Placid Lake lakeshed includes only the immediate lakeshed as this area is the land surface that flows directly into Placid Lake. The lakeshed vitals table identifies where to focus organizational and management efforts for each lake (Table 9). Criteria were developed using limnological concepts to determine the effect to lake water quality. KEY Possibly detrimental to the lake Warrants attention Beneficial to the lake Table 9. Placid Lake lakeshed vitals table. Lakeshed Vitals Rating Lake Area 214 acres descriptive Littoral Zone Area 133 acres descriptive Lake Max Depth 39 feet descriptive Lake Mean Depth NA NA Water Residence Time NA NA Miles of Stream miles descriptive Inlets Outlets Major Watershed 1 - Mississippi River-Brainerd descriptive Minor Watershed 191 descriptive Lakeshed 1911 descriptive Ecoregion Northern Lakes and Forests descriptive Total Lakeshed to Lake Area Ratio (total lakeshed includes lake area) 6:1 Standard Watershed to Lake Basin Ratio (standard watershed includes lake areas) 6:1 Wetland Coverage (NWI) 9.2% Aquatic Invasive Species Public Drainage Ditches Public Lake Accesses 1 None Miles of Shoreline 4.61 miles descriptive Shoreline Development Index 2.25 Public Land to Private Land Ratio 1:17.9 Development Classification Recreational Developent Miles of Road 2.21 miles descriptive Municipalities in lakeshed Forestry Practices None None Feedlots 1 Individual Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems Sewage Management (Inspection and assessment required for all permits and property transfers within the Shoreland Protection Zone) Lake Management Plan None Lake Vegetation Survey/Plan DNR, 1995 RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 13 of Placid Lake

14 Land Cover / Land Use The activities that occur on the land within the lakeshed can greatly impact a lake. Land use planning helps ensure the use of land resources in an organized fashion so that the needs of the present and future generations can be best addressed. The basic purpose of land use planning is to ensure that each area of land will be used in a manner that provides maximum social benefits without degradation of the land resource. Changes in land use, and ultimately land cover, impact the hydrology of a lakeshed. Land cover is also directly related to the land s ability to absorb and store water rather than cause it to flow overland (gathering nutrients and sediment as it moves) towards the lowest point, typically the lake. Impervious intensity describes the land s inability to absorb water, the higher the % impervious intensity the more area that water cannot penetrate in to the soils. Monitoring the changes in land use can assist in future planning procedures to address the needs of future generations. Figure 17. Placid Lake lakeshed (1911) land cover (NLCD 211). Phosphorus export, which is the main cause of lake eutrophication, depends on the type of land cover occurring in the lakeshed. Figure 17 depicts the land cover in Placid Lake s lakeshed. The National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) has records from 21 and 211. Table 1 describes Placid Lake s lakeshed land cover statistics and percent change from 21 to 211. Overall, there was not much change over this decade. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 14 of Placid Lake

15 Table 1. Placid Lake s lakeshed land cover statistics and % change from 21 to 211 (Data Source: NLCD) % Change Land Cover Acres Percent Acres Percent 21 to 211 Barren Land (Rock/Sand/Clay) Cultivated Crops Deciduous Forest Developed, Low Intensity Developed, Open Space Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands Evergreen Forest Grassland/Herbaceous Open Water Pasture/Hay Shrub/Scrub Woody Wetlands Total Area Table 11. Placid Lake development area and % change from (Data Source: UMN Landsat) Change (acres) Category Acres Percent Acres Percent 199 to 2 Total Impervious Area acres Urban Acreage acres Demographics Placid Lake is classified as a Recreational Development lake. Recreational Development lakes usually have between 6 and 225 acres of water per mile of shoreline, between 3 and 25 dwellings per mile of shoreline, and are more than 15 feet deep The Minnesota Department of Administration Geographic and Demographic Analysis Division extrapolated future population in 5-year increments out to 235. Compared to Crow Wing County as a whole, Deerwood Township has a higher growth projection (Figure 18). (source: Percent 3% 25% 2% 15% 1% Population Growth Projection Compared to 21 Population Deerwood Township; 21 population = 1474 Crow Wing County; 21 population = 62,5 Ec Dev Region; 21 population = 163,3 5% % Year Figure 18. Population growth projection for adjacent townships and Crow Wing County. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 15 of Placid Lake

16 Lakeshed Water Quality Protection Strategy Each lakeshed has a different makeup of public and private lands. Looking in more detail at the makeup of these lands can give insight on where to focus protection efforts. The protected lands (easements, wetlands, public land) are the future water quality infrastructure for the lake. Developed land and agriculture have the highest phosphorus runoff coefficients, so this land should be minimized for water quality protection. The majority of the land within Placid Lake s lakeshed is privately owned forested uplands (Table 12). This land can be the focus of development and protection efforts in the lakeshed. Table 12. Land ownership, land use/land cover, estimated phosphorus loading, and ideas for protection and restoration in the lakeshed (Sources: County parcel data and the 211 National Land Cover Dataset). Private (8.4) 15.1 Public (4.5) Developed Agriculture Forested Uplands Other Wetlands Open Water County State Federal Land Use (%) Runoff Coefficient Lbs of phosphorus/acre/year Estimated Phosphorus Loading Acreage x runoff coefficient Description Focused on Shoreland Cropland Focus of development and protection efforts Open, pasture, grassland, shrubland Protected Potential Phase 3 Discussion Items Shoreline restoration Restore wetlands; CRP Forest stewardship planning, 3 rd party certification, SFIA, local woodland cooperatives Protected by Wetland Conservation Act County Tax Forfeit Lands State Forest National Forest DNR Fisheries approach for lake protection and restoration Credit: Peter Jacobson and Michael Duval, Minnesota DNR Fisheries In an effort to prioritize protection and restoration efforts of fishery lakes, the MN DNR has developed a ranking system by separating lakes into two categories, those needing protection and those needing restoration. Modeling by the DNR Fisheries Research Unit suggests that total phosphorus concentrations increase significantly over natural concentrations in lakes that have watershed with disturbance greater than 25%. Therefore, lakes with watersheds that have less than 25% disturbance need protection and lakes with more than 25% disturbance need restoration (Table 13). Watershed disturbance was defined as having urban, agricultural and mining land uses. Watershed protection is defined as publicly owned land or conservation easement. RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 16 of Placid Lake

17 Table 13. Suggested approaches for watershed protection and restoration of DNR-managed fish lakes in Minnesota. Watershed Disturbance (%) Watershed Protected (%) Management Type Comments < 25% > 75% Vigilance < 75% Protection Sufficiently protected -- Water quality supports healthy and diverse native fish communities. Keep public lands protected. Excellent candidates for protection -- Water quality can be maintained in a range that supports healthy and diverse native fish communities. Disturbed lands should be limited to less than 25%. 25-6% n/a Full Restoration > 6% n/a Partial Restoration Realistic chance for full restoration of water quality and improve quality of fish communities. Disturbed land percentage should be reduced and BMPs implemented. Restoration will be very expensive and probably will not achieve water quality conditions necessary to sustain healthy fish communities. Restoration opportunities must be critically evaluated to assure feasible positive outcomes. The next step was to prioritize lakes within each of these management categories. DNR Fisheries identified high value fishery lakes, such as cisco refuge lakes. Ciscos (Coregonus artedi) can be an early indicator of eutrophication in a lake because they require cold hypolimnetic temperatures and high dissolved oxygen levels. These watersheds with low disturbance and high value fishery lakes are excellent candidates for priority protection measures, especially those that are related to forestry and minimizing the effects of landscape disturbance. Forest stewardship planning, harvest coordination to reduce hydrology impacts and forest conservation easements are some potential tools that can protect these high value resources for the long term. Placid Lake s lakeshed is classified with having 2% of the watershed protected and 15% of the watershed disturbed (Figure 19). Therefore, this lakeshed should have a protection focus. Goals for the lake should be to limit any increase in disturbed land use. Placid Lake is a headwaters lakeshed, which means that no other lakesheds flow into it (Figure 2). Percent of the Watershed Protected % 1% 75% Placid Lake (2.2%) Percent of the Watershed with Disturbed Land Cover % 25% 1% Placid Lake (15.1%) Figure 19. Placid Lake s lakeshed percentage of watershed protected and disturbed. Figure 2. Lakesheds that contribute water to the Placid Lake lakeshed. Color-coded based on management focus (Table 13). RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 17 of Placid Lake

18 Status of the Fishery (DNR, as of 6/13/1988) Northern pike and Bluegill net catches indicated above average populations. These species catch rates exceed the third quartile of the Brainerd area median for group I lakes that are less than 23 acres with a total alkalinity of less than 47. Yellow Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed and Black Crappie exhibited average populations since the net catches were between the first and third quartile of the area median. Brown Bullhead, Yellow Perch, and Walleye net catches indicate a below average population with catch rates below the first quartile of the area median. The northern pike abundance seems to indicate an upward trend. The two previous surveys (June 1971 and June 1983) had net catches of 7. and 9.3/gillnet. The Northern Pike ranged in sixe from 11.1 to 31.4 at time of capture. The average size was 19.1 inches long. Age class II thru IX were present in the nets with growth rates on the low side of average. Yellow Bullhead populations took a large jump in gill net catches,.1 in 197, 9.7 in 1983, in 1988; yet trapnet catches were down 61. in 1971, 66.8 in 1983 and in The brown bullhead is quite low. The Bluegill population has remained high with age classes IV thru X represented in the net catch and all classes indicated a slow growth rate in comparison to statewide averages. Yellow perch population remains extremely low. The Walleye population shows the following changes:. in 1971,.3 in 1983, and.67 in Placid Lake was stocked with Walleye fingerling in 1979, fry in 198 and fingerling again in See the link below for specific information on gillnet surveys, stocking information, and fish consumption guidelines. Key Findings / Recommendations Monitoring Recommendations Transparency monitoring at site 21 should be continued annually. It is important to continue transparency monitoring weekly or at least bimonthly every year to enable year-to-year comparisons and trend analyses. Total Phosphorus and chlorophyll a monitoring should continue, as the budget allows, to track trends in water quality. Overall Summary Placid Lake is a mesotrophic lake (TSI = 42) with no evidence of a trend in water clarity, which means the water quality is stable. The total phosphorus, chlorophyll a and transparency ranges are within the ecoregion ranges. Fifteen percent (15%) of the Placid Lake lakeshed is disturbed by development and agriculture (Figure 19), but most of that is just pasture/hay (Figure 17), which have a much lower phosphorus runoff rate than cropland. The threshold of disturbance where water quality tends to decline is 25%. Placid Lake is well under this threshold. More than half (54%) of the lakeshed is forested which is generally good for water quality (Table 12). Placid Lake has the advantage of a very small watershed (6:1, Table 9). The lake does not have any major inlets, which means that it is probably groundwater fed. This means that the land use practices around the lake are the greatest potential impact to the lake. Priority Impacts to the Lake The priority impact to Placid Lake would be the expansion of residential housing development around the lakeshore. The conversion of small lake cabins to year-round family homes increases the impervious surface and runoff from the lake lots. Much of the private land around the lake in the first tier is only lightly developed and lot sizes are large (Figure 16). Further subdivision of RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 18 of Placid Lake

19 these lakeshore lots and more concentrated development could increase the nutrient runoff into the lake. Overall, the development pressure for Placid Lake appears low. Data from and show there wasn t much increase in development during that period of time (Tables 1-11). Best Management Practices Recommendations The management focus for Placid Lake should be to protect the current water quality and lakeshed. Efforts should be focused on managing and/or decreasing the impact caused by additional development and impervious surface area on existing lots (conversion of seasonal cabins to year-round homes). The current lakeshore homeowners can lessen their negative impact on water quality by installing or maintaining the existing tress on their properties. Forested uplands contribute significantly less phosphorus (lbs/acre/year) than developed land cover (Table 12). In addition, filter strips or native vegetative buffers could be installed to decrease or slow the runoff reaching the water s edge. Septic systems should be pumped and inspected regularly. The lake still has large undeveloped shoreline parcels (Figure 16). Because a lot of undeveloped private land still exists, there is a great potential for protecting this land with conservation easements and aquatic management areas (AMAs). Conservation easements can be set up easily and with little cost with help from organizations such as the Board of Soil and Water Resources and the Minnesota Land Trust. AMAs can be set up through the local DNR fisheries office. Project Implementation The best management practices above can be implemented by a variety of entities. Some possibilities are listed below. Individual property owners Shoreline restoration Rain gardens Aquatic plant bed protection (only remove a small area for swimming) Conservation easements Lake Associations Lake condition monitoring Ground truthing visual inspection upstream on stream inlets Watershed runoff mapping by a consultant Shoreline inventory study by a consultant Conservation easements Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Shoreline restoration Stream buffers Wetland restoration Work with farmers to o Restore wetlands o Implement conservation farming practices o Land retirement programs such as Conservation Reserve Program RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 19 of Placid Lake

20 County-wide Recommendation In order to better manage the impact of septic systems on lake water quality, it is recommended that the county implement a lake-wide septic inspection program. In a program such as this, the county would focus on one to three lakes a year, pull septic system records on those lakes, and require old systems to be inspected. This program can rotate through the county doing a few lakes each year. Since conversion of small cabins to large lake homes could be a future issue, strengthening county shoreline ordinances such as set-backs, impervious surface limits and shoreline alteration (installation of retaining walls and removing trees) will help to protect water quality. Organizational contacts and reference sites Placid Area Lake Association PO Box 311, Deerwood, MN Crow Wing County Land Services Department Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District DNR Fisheries Office Regional Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Office Regional Board of Soil and Water Resources Office 322 Laurel Street, Suite 14, Brainerd, MN Laurel Street, Suite 13, Brainerd, MN 5641 (218) Minnesota Drive, Brainerd, MN 5641 (218) College Road, Suite 15, Baxter, MN (218) Minnesota Drive, Brainerd, MN 5641 (218) RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. 2 of Placid Lake