An Evaluation of Stormwater Management
in a Watershed of Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Bruce Wilson, Professor
Brad Hansen, Assistant Scientist
Todd Schmidt, Graduate Student
Dave Warburton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Vicki Sherry, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Brian Ashman, Undergraduate Student
Funding Source
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Contaminants
Program
Objective
The overall goal of the study is to investigate the magnitude
of potential pollutants from Bloomington, Minnesota, into
the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Specific objectives
are to:
- Collect water quality data from rainfall and snowmelt
events for different urban land uses that drain into the
refuge.
- Analyze the water quality data to document loading of
pollutants, and, if necessary,
- Recommend possible best management practices to ameliorate
problems.
Need or Impact
Long Meadow Lake, a Minnesota River floodplain lake within
the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, is an important
breeding and resting area for mallards, blue-winged teal,
wood ducks and other migratory waterfowl, wading birds and
shorebirds. Refuge biologists have long suspected that the
lake has not produced waterfowl broods commensurate with its
apparent capabilities. Previous studies found invertebrate
densities in the lake slightly to significantly lower than
in two other Upper Midwest wetland ecosystems, and suggested
disrupted aquatic vegetation communities and stormwater runoff
as potential causes.
Project Status
The project has recently been funded. Equipment has been
ordered. Instrumentation sites have been selected.
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