Spring is just around the corner, or at least we can hope so. This change in the seasons will bring more rain than snow as the days get longer and we begin to see a transformation on the landscape. Water seems to be in constant motion as the sun’s energy melts away the winter’s snowpack.
Today’s column focuses on the Chippewa River Watershed including how it was the site of Minnesota’s greatest thunderstorm, watershed facts and the Chippewa River Watershed Project. Find out about fecal coliform bacteria issues, how to reduce high bacteria levels and snapping turtles. Attend the Chippewa River Watershed Project Annual Meeting on March 19 or go for a snowshoe hike at Lac qui Parle State Park.
Water: Minnesota’s greatest thunderstorm
The Chippewa River and Pomme de Terre watersheds were the site of Minnesota’s greatest thunderstorm. According to Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota climatologist and meteorologist, the event took place over two days in July of 1887, when only a few pioneer settlements and farms dotted the landscape. The best account of the storm came from George B. Wright, a land surveyor who witnessed the storm while doing fieldwork in Pope County.
At around noon on July 17 the storm started out with a little wind, in addition to thunder and lightning. In the beginning, the rain fell at a moderate rate before increasing and continuing into the next day. Wright reported the storm lasted around 30 hours; with settlers further north and south saying it finally quit after 36 hours. When the rain ceased and low clouds lifted on the morning of July 19, Wright and his crew saw nothing but broad sheets of water covering the landscape. Foaming torrents streamed from upland areas down lines of drainage and poured into both the Chippewa and Pomme de Terre Valleys.
The Chippewa River had been flowing 1 to 3 feet deep with a channel width of 12 to 20 feet, a typical summer flow. After the storm it ranged from 900 feet between the bluffs to three or four miles on the flats. Field notes even four weeks after the storm show that the Chippewa was still more than 600 feet wide over the flood plain, its main channel depth on the order of 15 to 20 feet. Pioneer settlers encountered by Wright and his crew ... estimated the storm’s total rainfall to range from 30 to 36 inches, figures based on the catch in empty barrels left in open areas away from buildings and trees. (Minnesota Weather Almanac by Mark W. Seeley)
Did you know: Facts about the Chippewa River Watershed
• The Dakota called the Chippewa River “Maya Waka wapan” or remarkable river with steep places.
• Chippewa River Watershed drains a 2,080 square mile (1.3 million acre) basin as the second largest watershed in the Minnesota River Basin.
• The Chippewa River starts near Fish Lake and flows 130 miles to its confluence with the Minnesota River at Montevideo.
• The Chippewa River Watershed covers parts of eight counties, 26 towns, 95 lakes and has a population of more than 41,000 people.
• Total stream network of intermittent and perennial streams is over 2,000 miles.
• Main tributaries are Shakopee Creek, Little Chippewa River, Dryweather Creek and East Branch Chippewa. (Fast Facts courtesy of the Chippewa River Watershed Project)
Water science: Fecal coliform bacteria
This broad group of bacteria originate in the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals and found in their feces. Easy to test, fecal coliform bacteria numbers are a useful indicator of biological contamination. The main source of this type of bacteria is from animal and human waste ranging from feedlot and manure runoff to improperly treated human waste. A number of stretches of the Chippewa River and its tributaries are listed as impaired for fecal coliform bacteria contamination and swimming is not recommended from June through September. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends to avoid body contact with water that has 200 colonies per 100 milligrams of water or higher.
For more information, log on to www.epa.gov/OWOW/monitoring/volunteer/stream/vms511.html.
What can you do: Reducing fecal coliform levels
Reducing the levels of fecal coliform bacteria is important for all citizens whether you live in a city or out in the country. There are a number of best management practices people can do to help reduce fecal coliform bacteria levels in our waterbodies.
Make sure your septic system meets all health codes. A low-interest loan may be available in your county to upgrade a non-compliant system.
Control runoff from feedlots, fields and pasture. The Environmental Quality Improvement Program through the Natural Resources Conservation Service offers cost-share for these best management practices.
Urban practices include using rain gardens to filter pollutants flowing off impervious surfaces, sweeping paved areas and cleaning up pet waste.
The natural resource: Snapping turtles
This freshwater turtle is pretty easy to spot with its large size, dark brown and rough shell, and large head that it can’t draw back into its shell like other turtles. Snapping turtles are actually shy in water and will swim away when confronted. On land it is a different story. When threatened, a snapping turtle will snap and hiss while standing on all four legs, along with a rocking back and forth motion. A common snapping turtle’s diet includes plants, small birds, fish and carrion or dead animals. Because they can sniff out dead animals this has led police to use snapping turtles to search for human corpses. Listed as state special concern, snapping turtles may be present in all counties found in the Minnesota River Watershed.
For more information, log on to www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/turtles/snapping.html.
Community event: Chippewa River Watershed Project annual meeting
Join your friends, neighbors and others on March 19 at the annual meeting for the Chippewa River Watershed Project at the Starbuck Community Center. Starting at 5 p.m. with registration, this is an opportunity to visit with other citizens and partners in the watershed, along with checking out informational displays before the evening meal at 6 p.m. Register by March 16 and the meal is free — call (320) 269-2139 ext 120 or e-mail jennifer.hoffman@rcdnet.net.
An evening program will feature the 2008 water quality monitoring results and Joe Bischoff of Wenck Associates Inc. discussing the Chippewa River Turbidity TMDL.
For other events in the Minnesota River Watershed, log on to http://mrbdc.mnsu.edu/calendar/index.html.
Organization profile: Chippewa River Watershed Project
One of the most successful watershed projects in the Minnesota River Watershed, the Chippewa River Watershed Project got its start in March of 1998 with a grant to study the river’s water quality. After 10 years of hard work, the CRWP has provided over $600,000 to landowners as cost-share or incentive payments on 400 plus best management practices, developed an extensive water quality monitoring program, and sustained working partnerships with nonprofit organizations, government agencies and local groups. The CRWP staff also offers education outreach to schools, loans for septic system upgrades and community events including canoe trips, watershed tours and public information meetings.
For more information, log on to www.chippewariver.com/default.aspx.
Recreational opportunity: Snowshoeing at Lac qui Parle State Park
Lac qui Parle State Park sits on the southwest edge of Lac qui Parle Lake and has some great places for winter activities. Created in 1941, this state park features forested and open areas perfect for snowshoeing. There is plenty of wildlife to discover and other natural features including the Lac qui Parle River and Lake. The state park also has five miles of groomed cross-country ski trails and a visitor center located on the east side of the lake has wildlife interpretive displays, and a Nature Store.
For more information, log on to www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/lac_qui_parle/index.html.
