Lake Management Plan

go to PGOLID main pageChapter 1 includes an introduction and abstract

Chapter 2 includes the goals of PGOLID
Chapter 3 history covers geological formation to current district projects
Chapter 4 covers watershed characteristics of most of northwest Minnesota
Chapter 5 covers the main watershed around the Pelican Lakes
Chapter 6 covers the minor watersheds that surround Pelican Lake
Chapter 7 describes the types of data collected and why
Chapter 8 reports the data and water quality of inlets and outlets to Pelican Lake
Chapter 9 reports the water quality data for the Pelican Lakes

Chapter 10
Chapter 11 Safety and Buoys

 

Questions?
PGOLID Water Resource Coordinator
218-846-1465, email

Chapter 8: Impacting Streams and Rivers

8.1 Bob Creek

Bob creek is sampled at the outlet of Burton Lake, and the inlet into Pelican Lake. A small operation cattle pasture is located upstream. The Burton Lake site was added in January 2005 to gage the cattle farm impact on the watershed.

8.1.1 Bob Creek Inlet

Calculator

Bob Creek flows underneath South Pelican Drive and into Pelican Lake through a steel culvert. From years of traffic the culvert has been crushed and filled with sediment. The calculator uses an ellipse to simulate the crushed culvert. view site calculator

Total Phosphorous

Bob Creeks TP concentration ranges from 0.005 to 0.05 mg/L. This is half of other typical streams in the ecoregion. Bob Creek can output 0 to 7 lbs of TP per day. 2007 was a typical year for phosphorus loading at this site, and loading peaked in late May with the spring thaw. view graphs

Chlorophyll A

ChlA concentration (algae) at the Bob Creek inlet ranges from 0 to 0.8 ug/L. This concentration is relatively low. Algae grows better in calm water than flowing water. For comparison, the ChlA concentration in Pelican Lake ranges from 4-12 ug/L.

Because of the low concentration of chlorophyll-a detected in Bob Creek from 2002-2006, this test was dropped from analysis in 2007. view graphs

Fecal Coliform Bacteria Colonies

The Fecal Coliform Bacteria (FC) data that we have collected from the Bob Creek inlet shows elevated levels of FC during heavy precipitation. On several monitored occasions concentrations approached or exceeded 200 FC/100ml. This expresses a minor health concern. However the loading in not constant and the bacteria has a limited life span. A most probable source for this is a cattle pasture up stream. We have not sampled the inlet after every rainfall, but it is safe to assume that FC levels are elevated during heavy rainfall. From 4 years of data, 7 samples are labeled as "storm events". A storm event is when we collect samples during, or no less than a day after rainfall. Exactly 2 samples are in the recreational impaired level (above 200FC/100ml) and 4 samples are near the impaired level. The cattle pasture is most likely the source of the FC since it is upstream, and the cattle are a source of FC. Other possible sources of FC could be wildlife, or a malfunctioning septic system. view graphs

Total Suspended Solids

Bob Creek TSS concentrations typically range between 0.5 and 4 mg/L. The water clarity is excellent even up stream into the wetlands area. Bob Creek can output 0 to 200 lbs of TSS per day. view graphs

Flow

Bob Creek typically outputs between 0 to 35 cfs of water into Pelican Lake. view graphs

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8.1.2 Burton Lake Outlet

Calculator

Burton Lake outlet is a circular concrete culvert. view calculator and photo

Total Phosphorus

Burton Lake outlet TP concentration ranges from 0.01 to 0.03 mg/L, which is relatively low because it is an outlet of a lake. The phosphorus in the lake is diluted as opposed to a stream that picks up erosion and runoff along it's banks. TP loading is generally between 0.2 and 1.2 lbs per day. view graphs

Chlorophyll A

ChlA concentration (algae) at the Burton Lake outlet ranges from 0.001 to 0.012 ug/L. This concentration is extremely low. Algae grows better in calm water than flowing water. For comparison, the ChlA concentration in Pelican Lake ranges from 4-12 ug/L ( see Pelican Lake comparison ).

Because of the low concentration of chlorophyll-a detected in the Burton Lake outlet from 2005-2006, this test was dropped from analysis in 2007. view graphs

Fecal Coliform Bacteria Colonies

Burton Lake FC concentration ranges from 0 to 35 FC/100ml. FC loading is generally between 0 and 1100 FC per day. At above normal rain events (over 1.5 inches) the FC loading spikes due to over land runoff. view graphs

Total Suspended Solids

Burton Lake TSS concentration ranges from 0.5 to 5 mg/L. TSS loading is generally between 0 and 250 lbs/day. The TSS at the Burton Lake outlet is relatively low. It is probably so low because it is a lake outlet and the water is diluted. view graphs

Flow

Burton Lake outputs between 2-20 cubic feet per second. view graphs

back to main inlets/outlets page

 
© Copyright 2007 Pelican Group of Lakes Improvement District