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St. Paul, Minn. -The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has made public a report on the first detailed assessment of phosphorus sources in Minnesota's major watersheds. The study was ordered by the 2003 Legislature in response to concerns about and lack of information on the phosphorus content of dishwashing detergents. The study found that statewide, under average water-flow conditions, point sources contribute about 31 percent of the total phosphorus load to Minnesota's waters. Sources include industrial wastewater, human waste products and food wastes, septic systems and many smaller sources. Automatic dishwashing detergents contribute about three percent of the total phosphorus load to state waters. The other roughly two-thirds of the total load comes from nonpoint sources, with runoff from cropland and pasture supplying most of the load and lesser amounts coming from streambank erosion, urban runoff and atmospheric deposition. Phosphorus is a nutrient that can cause excessive growth of algae and aquatic vegetation if present in surface waters at elevated levels. Too much phosphorus is the main reason some lakes and streams turn green and smelly in the summer months. It enters lakes and streams from both paint sources, mainly wastewater treatment facilities; and nonpoint sources, mostly runoff from agricultural and urban land uses, and atmospheric sources. The assessment, funded by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources and conducted for the MPCA by Ban Engineering, is the first scientific study of just how much phosphorus enters Minnesota's lakes, wetlands, rivers and streams, and where it comes from in the state's 10 major watersheds. "This study will be a great tool for us and the Legislature in understanding the various sources of phosphorus," said Marvin Hora, an MPCA manager who oversaw the completion of the study. "It will help us make sound public policy in reducing the problem of excess nutrients in surface waters" Because phosphorus has human sources, the 2003 Legislature wanted to find in the study what part of the state's total phospho- rus load is from "ingested" sources, that is, passed through human digestive tracts and introduced to surface waters via wastewater treatment. The study found nearly 65 percent of total phosphorus entering wastewater treatment facilities is from noningested sources. Many wastewater treatment plants remove or reduce phosphorus in wastewater before discharging to surface waters. The full study and executive summary are available on the MPCA's Web site at wwwpcastate.mn.us/hot/legislature/reports. Questions, comments and requests for additional information can be directed to Mark Tomasek at the MPCA, 651/296-7241 or 800-657-3864, or by email at mark.tomasek@pca.state.mn.us. MAWD awards continued from page 21 Target audiences of the PIE program learn about their relationship to local stormwater conditions and improvement projects. Each target audience gains insight into their specific role in improving water quality, gets to participate in improvement projects and gain valuable skills as well as provide the District with valuable citizen perspectives. As we gain partnership with more teachers, resident experts, interest groups, and individuals in our drainage areas, the public gains a very personal link to our agency, our role, messages and services. In every target audience leaders emerge who influence their circle of friends and associates and create or modify their own program or practices in watershed stewardship. The following outcomes have thus far emerged: Sustainable Outcomes: • WaterFest attracts repeat educators and sponsors along with new ones, becoming community embraced. • Public Works Forum resulted in a watershed-based street sweeping and snow-ice control plan. • Natural resources management citizen volunteers gain hands-on expertise and new skills in biomonitoring, lakescaping, school habitat mentoring, restoration, upland landscaping, enabling them to learn about local resources and practice BMPs on their own and show others. • K-12 classes participated at over 30 schools in or near WD boundaries. Interest in watershed stewardship is an established curriculum with experienced school partners and more are on our wait lists • Our Natural Resources Board (NRB): Landscape Ecology Award Program (LEAP) winners of 2002 and 2003 got featured in many local newspapers and eagerly become mentors to others. NRB produced a popular educational brochure and has initiated watershed signage for public education. • MEMO is a District partner for training city planning, public works staff and various commissions. • The District Mentors Program formalized in 2003 to support the training needs and mentoring desires of our many devoted citizens. A geographic distribution of our Mentors is available on request. • Most important outcome is that all the Track activities and the above outcomes interconnect with each other, creating perpetual growth and networking opportunities as individuals evolve from interested citizens to volunteers to mentors to advisors, finding fulfilling roles among our many activities as true partners making a difference in their communities, schools and jobs. The PIE program follows the Adaptive Management Style, as a fluid way to seek and seize opportunities as they arise. Collabo- ration is a way of operating that is difficult to partition on an activity basis. The PIE program annual budget is $20,000. The annual WaterFest budget is $10,000. -18-