Cedar Lake Watershed Protection and Improvement Project

In 2002, citizens began to notice severe algal blooms in Cedar Lake, a high value recreational lake with exceptional clarity and fisheries habitat. Clearwater River Watershed District (CRWD) began an intensive monitoring program in 2003 to identify nutrient sources and protect Cedar Lake. Through intensive lake and watershed monitoring, CRWD identified the major source of nutrients to the lake. Three nutrient impaired shallow lakes; Swartout, Albion and Henshaw Lakes, in the upper watershed and impaired wetlands discharge excess amounts of soluble phosphorus.
CRWD also identified a suite of in-lake and watershed practices to improve water quality in the impaired shallow lakes to protect Cedar Lake. This project targets reductions to the largest watershed sources of nutrient to Cedar and Swartout Lakes by installing iron sand filters to remove soluble phosphorus currently exported from degraded wetlands and lakes.