MN launches web tool to monitor health of waterways

Researchers said warming temperatures brought on by climate change pose a range of threats to Minnesota’s waterways, and state officials hope a new online tool educates the public about how certain lakes are holding up.

The Department of Natural Resources recently launched the Watershed Health Assessment Framework, which measures roughly 3,000 lakes. Users can select a specific river and choose lakes within the watershed. They are graded on things such as water quality and contributing factors like excessive nutrients.

Beth Knudsen, Watershed Health Assessment Framework project coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said it is a more direct way for people to absorb data scientists are gathering.

“The more consistent we can be about helping people get that same information and sit at the table and dive into it, it assists all of us that care about waters in Minnesota,” Knudsen contended.

Beyond informing residents, the agency said it can guide local governments and resource agencies as they come together on watershed management efforts. Other scores for lakes include biology, stewardship and hydrology.

Knudsen noted while the effort relies on complex sets of data, the online tool is easy to understand in figuring out the health of a lake.

“It varies from a low score of 45 all the way up to a high score of 90,” Knudsen outlined. “There’s also a color that indicates where the lake falls within that range.”

Knudsen said gathering some of the findings can be labor-intensive, which is why they only have a full picture of 3,000 lakes so far. She pointed out other waterways will be added as more information is compiled.

Some of the climate-change effects being seen within Minnesota lakes include toxic algal blooms and the presence of aquatic invasive species.

Mike Moen writes for Minnesota News Connection