Rush River Project

The purpose of this project is to collect water samples from the Rush River to be used in developing a land use model for the Lake Pepin Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Lake Pepin is currently on Minnesota’s 303d impaired waters list for turbidity and phosphorus and is proposed to be added to the Wisconsin 303d list in 2008. Monitoring includes collection of water chemistry samples following TMDL monitoring technical guidance (WDNR, 2001) for two years, including monthly sampling and storm chasing (up to 36 sampling trips per year). The samples are collected by a local volunteer and sent to the State Lab of Hygiene for analysis of total phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, nitrate-nitrogen, total and volatile suspended solids and turbidity. Sampling began in October 2006 and will end in September 2008.

Since this site is quite remote (about 50 miles from Eau Claire), the volunteer saves the DNR about 100 miles and 2 hours of driving time on each sampling trip (worth about $2,000).

Contact:
Ken Schreiber
DNR Watershed Expert
715.839.3798
kenneth.schreiber@wisconsin.gov

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