The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released its proposal to protect wild rice from excess sulfate on March 24. The MPCA plans to meet with interested stakeholders to gather feedback.
Thirty-two bodies of water (mostly lakes and some rivers) in Cook County were among the hundreds of waters included in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) proposal for protecting wild rice from excess sulfate.
MPCA released its proposal on March 24.
In the past MPCA has relied on a single sulfate level for rivers and lakes but a study that began in 2012 has concluded that different levels of iron and organic carbon concentrates in the sediment change the way sulfate reacts to wild rice. Higher concentrations of iron can lead to fewer sulfides while higher levels of organic carbon can lead more sulfides. With that information the MPCA has proposed coming up with an equation that can determine sulfate level that will protect wild rice for a specific body of water.
Among the local wild rice gathering spots included were South and North Fowl lakes, Two Island Lake, Swamp Lake, Northern Light Lake, Otter Lake, Temperance River and Pigeon River.
Meetings with interested stakeholders will be scheduled and the MPCA will continue to refine the proposal based on feedback and any new data it receives. At the same time, the MPCA will consider how the study’s findings will change regulatory decisions and develop the data collection protocol needed to implement the proposal. The MPCA plans to go through formal rulemaking to change the existing standard later this year.
The rulemaking will also include listing specific wild rice waters that are subject to the new standard.
To find out more about the MPCA’s proposed approach go to the agency web site at www.pca.state.mn.us/r6wxpf9.
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