Crwd.org
Title
Clearwater River Watershed District
Description
The area encompassed by the Clearwater River Watershed District (CRWD) is rich in soil and water resources. The presence of those abundances has encouraged the growth of two economic mainstays in this Central Minnesota territory – farming and tourism. Around these basics have grown the communities that support their needs. As population and industry grow, those priceless resources, which we often take for granted, may deteriorate.
A number of years ago, those who fished and enjoyed the waters of the Clearwater Chain of Lakes began to notice a decrease in the clarity of those waters, an increase in the number of rough fish (bullheads and carp), and an increase in the growth of algae on the surface of the water. Studies showed that the lakes were nutrient-rich—they were polluted with phosphorus in amounts many times higher than the norm.
The lakes through which the Clearwater River flowed were aging much too quickly. That process, which is a natural phenomenon called "eutrophication," was being helped along at an alarming rate via runoff from cities, farmland, private septic systems, and industry.
The managers have adopted a TMDL Implementation Plan and are moving to reduce impairments in the headwaters which will improve water quality there and in the waters downstream. read more
