Bald Eagle Lake may be removed from impaired waters list

“That’s a positive development and a big deal. This is rare,” said Matt Kocian, lake and stream program manager at Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD). “Statewide, there is not a lot of delistings. There are thousands of impairment listings and less than 50 cases of delistings.” He added that the RCWD, which includes 55 lakes and 186 square miles, has only had one delisting approved. 

The 1,010-acre lake has been deemed “the most popular muskie lake in the East Metro” by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The lake extends into Washington and Anoka counties and lies between I-35 E and Highway 61 just north of White Bear Lake.

According to the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), Bald Eagle Lake was added to the list of impaired waters in 2002. 

As required by the federal Clean Water Act, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) assesses all state waters and creates a list of impaired waters every two years. The list includes waters that fail to meet water quality standards and uphold that water body’s designated use. The list is used to set pollutant-reduction goals needed to restore impaired waters, called the total maximum daily load (TMDL).

Although it is not the only factor that can lead to algae blooms, phosphorus is one of the main drivers of algae blooms. Kocian explained that RCWD staff are out on Bald Eagle about every two weeks during the open water season to collect water samples. 

The RCWD has data dating back to 1980. Kocian said both phosphorus and algae have historically been “very high” in the lake; as a result, the lake was experiencing frequent and severe algae blooms every summer. 

Some projects that have improved water quality include the $689,000 Oneka Ridge Golf Course stormwater reuse project in Hugo, which was completed in 2014. Now, stormwater runoff from 915 acres irrigates 116 acres of the golf course — keeping an estimated 75 pounds of phosphorus out of the lake annually. 

Back in 2014 and 2016, the RCWD completed an aluminum sulfate (alum) treatment. 

The $499,900 iron-enhanced sand filter and pond project on Ramsey County Ditch 11 was finished in 2020. It pumps ditch runoff to a series of iron-enhanced sand filters on township-owned land adjacent to the ditch. The constructed pond allows sediment and the pollutants it carries to settle out. The project keeps an estimated 43 pounds of phosphorus out of the lake annually.

“(The lake) is now regularly meeting the standards for both (phosphorus and chlorophyll-a (algae),” Kocain explained. “We are in a much better place.” 

Kocian credits the above mentioned projects as well as a number of smaller projects completed by residents along the shoreline with the water quality improvement. 

If residents are interested in learning more, there are some opportunities for them to partner with the RCWD on projects like rain gardens that can impact the shoreline. For more information, visit www.ricecreek.org/grants/water-quality-grants. 

As for Bald Eagle being removed from the impaired waters list, the MPCA is currently going through comments it received during a comment period, which ended in January. The MPCA will need to submit the list of waters to the EPA by April 1. The EPA then has 30 days to respond. 

Managing Editor Shannon Granholm can be reached at 651-407-1227 or citizennews@presspubs.com.