In The Current - MPCA Biological Monitoring Newsletter

[Cassie Champion]

Biological monitoring news and updates

You are receiving this first, quarterly newsletter from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Biological Monitoring Program because you:

Signed up directly;
Are on a MPCA Project Manager’s contact list; or  
Are an important contact for your watershed.
If you know of others who would like to receive this newsletter, please have them subscribe here: biological.mo...@state.mn.us.  

The purpose of this publication is to inform partners of the activities and developments of the MPCA biological monitoring program and serve as a distribution resource regarding upcoming activities and events related to biological monitoring within the state of Minnesota.  

 

Biological Monitoring Highlights

fisheries at 50

Igniting the transition from water quality to biological condition and ecological health
In this Fisheries at 50 article, James Karr, who introduced the Index of Biologi­cal Integrity (IBI), and his colleagues reflect on the transition from water quality to biological monitoring and the impact these management tools have on conserving and protecting freshwater ecosystems.

 


Spring watershed pollutant load monitoring update
by Anthony Dingmann
Spring is slowly arriving across Minnesota and there is a busy field season ahead for the Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network where Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) staff and partners sample for pollutants at 197 river and stream stations.

In northern Minnesota, with the rivers still under the cover of ice, staff continue to take samples drilling through feet of ice. From the North Shore to Grand Forks, this portion of Minnesota is still weeks away from seeing open and flowing rivers.

In central Minnesota, a transition is occurring where signs of spring are more apparent. From Mille Lacs Lake to Alexandria, many rivers have opened while others remain frozen. Water samples are collected more frequently during this transition.

In southern Minnesota, from Rochester to Marshall, the rivers are ice free, even with the 10-20 inches of snow they received in mid-March. Staff are out collecting samples in response to the snow melt and rain events.

Between north and south, transitioning from winter to spring can take 6 to 8 weeks. Along with this comes changes in water levels, flow, water quality and pollutant concentrations. One constant is that MPCA staff and partners will be monitoring these changes and gathering sufficient water quality data to accurately show daily and yearly pollutant concentrations, as well as long term trends.

To learn more about this work and to view pollutant concentrations, please visit the MPCA Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring website.

pipestone creek

2026 field season overview
Please follow the link below to an interactive map that shows an overview of MPCA’s sampling sites that are scheduled to be sampled in 2026.  Feel free to zoom in on the site icons for a closer look at the sampling area.

View interactive map
Clausen image

The importance of downstream source populations
by Karsten Klimek
An often overlooked variable when evaluating the effectiveness restorative efforts have on upstream biological recolonization of fish species is the presence of downstream source populations. Lack of stream and river connectivity is often identified as a plausible cause of limited upstream fish community biodiversity. In recent years, focus has been given to projects which are meant to restore this connectivity, often involving the removal of dams or replacing culverts that are perched or undersized that have been identified as migration barriers to fish colonization. Although these scenarios are often viewed as ‘slam dunk’ project opportunities to increase upstream colonization, evaluating whether biodiversity and desirable species exist in downstream waters is important and should not be assumed. The common idea is that as a fish moves downstream through a watershed and the drainage area increases, so does the diversity of the fish community. Although this pattern typically is true, as more stressors also come into play downstream, those sensitive or more desirable species that are typically indicative of good water quality conditions may have already been eliminated. In these situations, recolonization of upstream waters by these desirable or indicator species is impossible regardless of the stream reconnective measures implemented. The same holds true of riparian and habitat improvement efforts and the downstream connection as well. Of course, other considerations of downstream source populations should be given as presence of invasive species and if reconnection to those areas would be beneficial long term.

ss bugs

Long-Term Biological Monitoring (LTBM)
by John Genet
In 2013, the MPCA established a long-term biological monitoring (LTBM) program for rivers and streams to supplement the intensive watershed monitoring (IWM) work.  Since IWM largely adheres to a 10-year cycle, the idea behind LTBM was to obtain fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate samples more frequently (every other year) to better understand how stream biological condition fluctuates (or not) in response to the seemingly increased frequency of droughts and floods. It also allows us to characterize year-to-year variation in these two communities in the absence of these impacts. Without such an understanding, it will become increasingly difficult to differentiate climate-driven impacts from watershed-driven impacts (e.g., land use, channelization, water usage, point source discharges), diminishing the ability to develop effective restoration and protection strategies for aquatic life.

To accomplish these objectives, a network of 67 biological monitoring stations is sampled for fish and macroinvertebrates every other year.  The same suite of water chemistry, habitat, and biological parameters are measured at each LTBM site (compared to IWM) with the add-on of a quantitative habitat evaluation. With over 10 years of data having been collected to date, the program is just now entering a phase of preliminary data analysis and program evaluation.  Stay tuned for additional updates!

In the meantime, additional information on the program, including an interactive index of biological integrity (IBI) data viewer can be found on the MPCA website.


lakes

State-wide analysis of lake user perception data.
After decades of monitoring, Minnesota was the first state to develop ecoregion-based eutrophication/trophic state lake assessment standards, led by the MPCA.  Lake user perception metrics have been used by the MPCA since 1987.  This includes one of the nation’s oldest and robust lake monitoring databases used by professionals and volunteers.  This report found here, documents the first comprehensive, state-wide analysis of laker user perception data.


Minnesota nutrient reduction strategy
The 2025 Minnesota Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) is now available online.  This document reports ten years of programs and projects to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus levels flowing out of Minnesota via the Mississippi River.  The Nitrate in Minnesota webpage has links to rulemaking, the Nitrate Network, new projects and other resources and information.

nut

 


state ofgl

State of the Great Lakes 2025 Report
In January, Canada and the United States released its State of the Great Lakes 2025 Report which provides an overview of the status and trends of the Great Lakes ecosystem.  Over 200 Great Lakes scientists and experts collaborated and contributed data to this report.



Biomonitoring partner program graphic

A training and certification program for evaluating aquatic life in Minnesota’s rivers and streams.

 

The BMPP pilot training will be held in mid-June in St. Paul.  Participants include local government unit partners, consultants and tribal partners.  The pilot training has a classroom and field component to train our partners on the MPCA Standard Operating Procedures methods and data submissions.

The development of the BMPP Resource Library is well underway and will include a photo and video library, MPCA Standard Operating Procedures, forms to conduct monitoring, timelines, guidance documents, contact lists, helpful links, and more.

More information about the BMPP can be found here.  If you would like to be on the contact list to receive information about this program, please email biological.mo...@state.mn.us.

 

cannon river

Featured watershed: Cannon River
The Cannon River Watershed is located in southeast Minnesota and is comprised of 952,933 acres.  The watershed drains over 1,400 square miles through the Cannon and Straight Rivers to the Mississippi River in Red Wing.  More information about the Cannon River Watershed can be found here.


hear

In the Current wants to hear from you!
We encourage our partners to submit any biological monitoring news, projects or events to Biological.mo...@state.mn.us to be featured in the In the Current newsletter.


Monitoring Resources
MPCA fish sampling video

MPCA macroinvertebrate sampling video

Tiered Aquatic Life Use (TALU)

MN 2024 Impaired Waters List

MAISRC Aquatic Invasive Species Guidebook

Biological monitoring data requests
You can request MPCA biological monitoring data using the MPCA's online form: Under the ‘Area of Interest’ drop-down select ‘Biological monitoring’ and describe in detail the records you are requesting. Incomplete, insufficient, or inaccurate requests may be returned or delayed. Email questions to Biological.Mo...@state.mn.us.

Go to form


Contact
For questions, or to subscribe to this newsletter, please email: biological.mo...@state.mn.us.

For subscriptions, please note the email address you would like to use.

You are receiving this message because you partner, participate or have indicated interest in the MPCA's biological monitoring program.  By unsubscribing, you will no longer receive news through this GovDelivery service from the MPCA's Biological Monitoring section.

 

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is a state agency committed to ensuring that every Minnesotan has healthy air, sustainable lands, clean water, and a better climate.



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