Paleolimnology of the St. Louis River Estuary and AOC/USEPA Lake Superior Lakewide Action Management Plan and Remedial Action Plan Capacity Support – Year 4

Minnesota Clean Water Funds will be used to complete a paleolimological study of the St. Louis River Estuary for the purpose of providing information critical to removing Beneficial Use Impairments in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.  This project will reconstruct the biological (algal load and composition), geochemical (organic and inorganic), sediment, and mercury chronology to identify historical temporal and spatial variations in the St. Louis River Estuary in order to better understand the natural and anthropogenic drivers related to beneficial use impairments for the St. Louis River Area of Concern.  The paleolimnological information obtained in this study will provide baseline data for sound management decisions and restoration  goals for future efforts to restore the quality of ecological systems in western Lake Superior. The project will provide linkages between ecosystem function and historical water quality, and important interpretations will be made regarding the efficacy of sewage treatment as a remedial accomplishment in the Great Lakes basin.

Year 4 of a 5-year operational capacity grant from USEPA will continue support for MPCA and MNDNR actions under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.  This will support Minnesota’s effort to develop and implment the Lake Superior Lakewide Action Management Plan (LAMP) and the St. Louis River Area of Concern Remedial Action Plan (RAP) and provide for staff capacity to assess ecosystems, assure quality data, remediate problems in order to remove beneficial use impairment and make progress towards delisting the St. Louis River Area of Concern.