1996-10-24_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

- - . - . -- - :~.,:, ,,~ , ~~ ~ ~-~ ~ s ~ ~ ; ~ -~-, _ ; ,Minnesota, ' ~: De~ar4me~,fi of Natdrafi~~tesourC~S _, ~; r ,_ zy .. ~ -, - . _ _ _ 996.: >~ S~Surn r 1 - s. s k c,~. + ~ _ ~_w~ ~ x r ?3., ~a p .:3, `">-"~r}sr~~ f+~~ w. _ _ ~ ~~ '.:.{.n ' a s.... - - ~... _^a ~'~.v.e ti-'~ _ -. ~yv-' 1'ai I@~' By John Linc Stine The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is leading a comprehensive study of the Straight River watershed in the Park Rapids area to examine available water supplies, current uses of the ground water system, and. the effect of ground water use on the unique resources of the Straight River region.l~Vithin the DNR, the Division of Waters and the Division of Fish and Wildlife are teaming up in an ecosystem-based approach to this study. The Straight River watershed covers about 75 square miles in Hubbard and Becker Counties and is located just west of the city of Park Rapids, MN. The watershed is a flat sand plain, underlain by highly permeable aquifers consisting of layers of glacially-deposited sand and gravel; these aquifers provide an ample supply of groundwater for agricul- tural irrigation (mostly potatoes, corn, and edible beans). These aquifers also contribute significantly to flows in the Straight River which drains from the northwest to the southeast and joins with the Fish Hook River just south of Park Rapids, MN. _ Of particular concern is the Straight River itself. It is more than. just another designated trout stream, and even more than one of the better stream trout fisheries in northern Minnesota. The 15-mile stretch of river between the dam at Straight Lake in Becker County and its confluence with the Fish Hook River in southern Hubbard County is one of the premier brown trout fisheries in the Upper Midwest. To fund another river like it, with natural production capabilities and abundant, trophy-sized brown trout, you would have to travel west to the Big Horn River in Wyoming, or east to the Au Sable River in upper Michigan. The key element in the Straight River, as in any good trout fishery, is clean, cool water. A study by the U.S. Geological Sun!ey, released in 1994, - revealed that ground water provides one-half of the total water volume that flows in the Straight River. Making its way from the upper, or "surficial," sand and gravel aquifers, through natural springs and tributary streams, ground water provides the Straight River with the cool temperatures necessary for trout 'growth and survival during long hot summers. _ Ground water also moderates temperatures during the fall and winter, providing necessary water tempera- ...cantfnued on next page ,. ,.. Warren Floods -4 .. -~DNR PermiteDevelopment.`: ..6 '.High Lake Levels _ ...:. ~ .7 ... Trends in Shoreland Developmenf. ::9 - Lake Superior Costal Update :::. .:.: ::. ,i0 .~12 .. Flood Protection Advice::.: Climate Update :: :.:::....::.:.: ...:.::...... i3 -.~