Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge - Water Quality Overview -

Gregg Knutsen, Wildlife Biologist - Agassiz NWR

Change Over Time

Agassiz Pool ~ 10,000 acres 1948: 10 years after creation 2006: 66 years after creation

Pool elev. = 1140.2

Pool elev. = 1140.5

Sediment deltas forming Emergent vegetation (largely cattail) is expanding

- assisted by sediment infilling

Many of Agassizs pools are either dense monotypic stands of cattail, or 75% cattail covered.
Cattail monocultures have low wildlife value and often indicate degraded wetlands. Cattail management is one of the primary challenges in managing wildlife impoundments.

Cattail Monocultures Why Do They Occur?

Elevated nutrient loads (nitrogen, phosphorus) Reduced maximum water depth due to sediment deposition - promotes cattail colonization via vegetative reproduction - reduces effectiveness of cattail management actions (flooding out cattails) Introduction of exotic narrow-leaved cattail and establishment of hybrid cattail - both are invasive

Total Sediment Accumulated 1940 2008 (based on 210Pb inventory)

AgassizPool 2,028,252tons
1,318,364 tons from off-Refuge inputs (inorganic 65%)
Agassiz Pool

~ 19,000 tons / year Field-eroded sediments are the primary contributor to Agassiz NWR infilling

Ditch 11

210Pb

inventory can be used to estimate whole-pool sediment burden and distribution

May 2006 CIR Image

Main Ditch 11 looking east across Agassiz Pool

Constructed in 1910 to a mean depth of 9.5ft, top width of 59ft, and bottom width of 40ft 2013 nearly completely filled with sediment the entire length of 3.7 mi (within the Pool)

~260,000tonsofsedimentinditch

Agassiz Pool c

LIDARPROFILEOFMAINDITCH11

Radial Gates

AgassizPoolModeledSedimentBudget
Letsusknowwhere ourmainproblem areasarelocated.

U.S.GeologicalSurveyconductedawaterqualityassessmentof AgassizNWRfrom20082010.
ContinuousmonitoringofRefugeinflow andoutflow sites

KEYFINDINGS:
concentrationsofunionizedammoniaDIDNOTEXCEED theMNwaterqualitystandard MNwaterqualitystandardswereREGULARLYMETfordissolvedoxygenandpH nitrateplusnitriteconcentrationswereLOWER atOUTFLOW sitesvs.inflowsites likelyduetodenitrification andplantuptake nitrogenlevelsdidnotexceedMNdrinkingwaterstandard phosphorus levelsDIDNOTexceedMNsecoregionbasedwaterqualitystandards Branch1(JD11)hadsignif.greaterconcentrationsoftotalphosphorus andorthophosphorus thananyothersite

Waterqualitystandardsareforstreams notwetlands.

U.S.GeologicalSurveyconductedawaterqualityassessmentof AgassizNWRfrom20082010.
ContinuousmonitoringofRefugeinflow andoutflow sites KEYFINDINGS: Duringthe3yearstudy,anestimatedNETLOSSofsedimentfromAgassizPool Likely relatedtomultiplefactors: NewAgassizPooloutletstructure(2008) drawdownofAgassizPoolinOct.2009 2010(firstsince2000) baredirtdikesalongDitch11outletduetoconstruction(20082010) Poolalreadyheavilyladenwithinorganicsediments

EstimatedannualsedimentinputstotheRefugefrom20082010werealsomuch lessthanthoseestimatedfrom19402008 ~19,000tons/year(19402008) maximumof4,362tons/year(20082010) Largedifferenceisanunknown,butmayhavemultipleexplanations.. Currently140,000acofCRPinMarshallCo. muchofwhichhasbeenenrolledsincelate1980s

Muchhasbeenlearned,butstillmanyunknowns.
Refugeimpoundmentsfunctionasatrapforsedimentsandnutrients wetlandhabitatdegradationresults Refugemanagementhastheabilitytopassincomingsedimentsdownstream andflushpreviouslydepositedsediment Whatistheratioofinorganic:organicsedimentthatexitsAgassizPool? Sept.2012datashowthat6071%ofsuspendedsedimentatoutflowsites isinorganic(notproducedinthePool) suggeststhatpreviously depositedsedimentsarebeingflushedfromthePool Targetedwaterqualitymonitoringwillcontinue(2013andbeyond) occurredatinflowsites(2),outlflow sites(2),andwithinAgassizPool(2012)

FingerprintingSedimentSourceswith137Cs
(basedonstudiesinMinnesotaRiverBasin)

ConstantExposuretoRain
CultivatedField

Fingerprint 0.38 (+/-0.32) pCi/g

Ratio: Field to Non-field

SuspendedSediment

~ 0.0 pCi/g
NonfieldErosion

Minimal Exposure to Rain

What do fingerprints tell us about source of sediment? Reminder:

1.3 million tons of sediment in pool from external sources MN River Basin Field Fingerprint Non-Field Agassiz Fingerprint = 0.50 pCi/g ~ 0.38 pCi/g ~ 0 pCi/g

0.50 / 0.38 = 130% from field ???

Reference fingerprint of Northern MN may be different Variable results, difficult to be precise

Field-eroded sediments are the primary contributor to Agassiz NWR infilling