Originally published in Lake of the Woods Area News, Volume 55, Number 2, Spring 2025
The long-standing challenge of water quality impairment on Lake of the Woods was central to the 2025 International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum. For decades, harmful and nuisance algae have been a recurring problem for the lake, triggering not only a formal impairment designation of U.S. waters by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2008, but also an enormous body of science, policy and governance efforts to collaborate across borders and among agencies to begin to remedy the problem.
LOWWSF’s current project, Developing a Domestic Phosphorus Management Plan for Canadian Portions of Lake of the Woods, was presented, touching on the history of 20th Century industrial pollution into the Rainy River that continues to drive nutrient enrichment and algae problems, and the efforts underway to resolve this legacy pollution. Daniel Rokitniki of the Canada Water Agency discussed the Lake of the Woods Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative through which local groups, including LOWWSF, are tackling the challenge by studying nutrient science and developing long-term management and restoration plans.
Dr. Mark Edlund (Science Museum of Minnesota) provided an update on interagency collaborations in Minnesota to develop and implement the state’s long-term restoration plan, called the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study. The TMDL, published in 2021, resulted from a decade of science and technical analysis from 2004-2015, and has led the way for water quality restoration in this international watershed. Mark shared data that suggest the restoration plan is working and we are starting to see declines in key indicators of algae activity – a promising signal, though this 20+-year restoration plan still has a long runway ahead.
Several talks delved deeply into the science behind algae and nutrients, providing the evidence that supports assessments of whether plan implementation is working as expected. Dr. Adam Heathcote (Science Museum of Minnesota), Mike Kennedy (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency), Sam Soderman (Koochiching Co. Soil & Water Conservation District), Gianna Saarenvirta (PhD candidate, Trent University), and Jesse Anderson (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) with Dr. Caren Binding (Environment & Climate Change Canada – ECCC) presented technical results from studies of stream sediments, nutrient flows, and monitoring and remote (satellite) sensing of algae and nutrients on Lake of the Woods, the Rainy River, and its Canadian and American tributaries, like the Little Fork River.
Other talks highlighted the power of inter-agency, international cooperation in facilitating the completion of massive, data-intensive, complex modelling and management efforts that extend beyond just nutrients and into broader ecosystem impacts and changes, including those wrought by a warming climate.
Zac Morris and Erv Kraft (AMI Consulting Engineers) explained how detailed bathymetric studies of the Lake of the Woods near the barrier islands (Pine, Curry and Sable Islands) have helped us better understand erosion and formation of these ecologically crucial sandbar islands. Similarly, their bathymetric studies of the Rainy River, done last year, have fed into ECCC’s sophisticated Integrated Socio-Economic and Environmental (ISEE) model (Dr. Marianne Bachand). The ISEE system helps us to understand the ecological impacts of water levels regulation along the internationally shared boundary waters managed by the International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board’s Water Levels Committee. Ben Erb, a grad student at Bemidji State, explained how his research on Lake Whitefish and Walleye spawning on Namakan and Rainy Lakes is informing the ISEE model, too, leading to better outcomes for fisheries in these managed waters.
Other themes at this year’s Forum included a status update on the Shoal Lake walleye fishery (Dr. Brian Kotak, Miette Environmental); several talks from Voyageurs National Park on efforts to track and eradicate aquatic invasive species (AIS) such as zebra mussels, Phragmites, and hybrid cattails; and changes to the ecology of remote, isolated lakes that may be attributed to rising annual average temperatures as the climate warms.
Science isn’t always heavy and somber. Amanda Weberg, an AIS educator from Cook Co., MN, presented “Clean Your Johnson”, showcasing a wide range of humorous campaigns, events, and approaches to engage the public in better understanding the risk of AIS and how to prevent their spread by cleaning, draining, and drying watercraft appropriately.
While the Forum is rich on science, its presenters are approachable, accessible and welcoming of questions and engagement from those who are new to watershed science. If any of this piques your curiosity, please consider joining us in a future year.
