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The Proceedings Report of the 2022 International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Forum is available for download at the Foundation’s website: lowwsf.com/forum-proceedings. Held March 9-10 as a virtual online event, 144 researchers, resource managers, policy makers, and members of the public put Lake of the Woods and its watershed under the microscope. The report covers a wide range of subjects: including: water governance and Indegenous perspectives, the State of the Basin Report, nutrients & algae, invasive species, and emerging issues and technologies.
Most presentations were recorded and are available for viewing for a limited time at lowwsf.com/watershed-forum.
Please download a copy of the report or go to the website to view any presentation recordings that are of interest to you.
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The Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the 2022 Rainy-Lake of the Woods State of the Basin Report (SOBR) lowwsf.com/sobr.
The report outlines changes that have occurred since the last report in 2014, focusing on the primary areas of concern in the watershed of nutrients and algae, contaminants, climate change, aquatic invasive species, and erosion/water levels. The report also highlights concerns about the health of the walleye fishery in the north end of Lake of the Woods and includes a new chapter on human health concerns in the watershed.
The 2022 SOBR is available in two versions: a detailed technical report of 148 pages, and an overview report of 32 pages, highlighting key findings and written for a general audience. We encourage you to read the overview version and to explore additional details in the full 148-page version, both of which are available for download at the Foundation’s website, lowwsf.com/sobr.
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The seasonal algae bloom on Lake of the Woods is underway and has progressed up into the north end of the lake, as shown in the collage of derived chlorophyll-a data for Sept 26 through Oct 5 (data imaged courtesy of EOLakeWatch, Dr. Caren Binding ECCC). The bloom has now developed in the northern part of the lake through to the Kenora area, and as can seen in the Chl-a data for Oct 4 & 5, the bloom is even present in the Ptarmigan channel / bay area of the "Clearwater" complex of bays. However, the blooms in these lower nutrient isolated bays may be a result of the strong shift...
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Environment and Climate Change Canada’s team responsible for sampling water quality on Lake of the Woods was out this September doing a lake-wide survey of 28 sites (see map). Water quality sampling had been paused last year due to Covid restrictions. In addition, they re-initiated their long-term monitoring of the Rainy River inflow to Lake of the Woods and the Winnipeg River outflow.
At each site, water quality parameters measured included: phosphorous, nitrogen, carbon and their various forms, total and dissolved metals, major ions, Chlorophyll a, Phycocyanin (an algal pigment found in blue-green algae), total suspended solids, algal toxins and taxonomy, secchi depths, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, conductivity and temperature.
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The Foundation has launched a project to develop a framework for a future phosphorus management plan for the Canadian portion of the binational Rainy-River-Lake of the Woods, with the support of a Contribution Agreement from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
This project will scope and outline the key elements that would be required to develop a domestic phosphorus management plan collaboratively with relevant parties in the basin, once phosphorus targets are set by Canada domestically or as shared binational targets with Minnesota.
This work is timely now, to prepare for moving from research to action. In late June, the US EPA approved Minnesota’s phosphorus plan that sets phosphorus targets for each source to the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods. In Canada, ECCC completed public engagements last spring on potential phosphorus reduction scenarios based on its four-year science program (see the LOWWSF “What We Heard Report”).
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Over two hundred attended our five-part Ask and Expert webinar series this fall. Our lineup of experts had a wealth of knowledge and this was a great chance to connect directly with them. The webinars were recorded, so if you were not able to attend you can view the recordings at your leisure.
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Disappointing news. Zebra mussel larvae have been confirmed in Rainy Lake by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR). The larvae were found in four of five water samples taken in July 2021, suggesting that there is a reproducing population in the lake according to MNDNR. This follows on an unconfirmed report of larvae in 2020 by a member of the public. Locations of adult reproductive colonies have not yet been located or confirmed. Rainy Lake straddles the Ontario-Minnesota border and flows downstream via the Rainy River to Lake of the Woods.
This follows equally concerning confirmations by MN DNR in 2019 and 2020 of zebra mussel larvae at several sites in the southern portion of Lake of the Woods.
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The seasonal algae bloom on Lake of the Woods is underway and has progressed up into the north end of the lake, as shown in the satellite image and associated derived chlorophyll-a data for August 31.
For much of the summer, it seemed like a "light year" for algae blooms, but blooms began to develop in mid-to late August. The low blooms in much of the mid-summer may perhaps be due to the low water and low flows from the nutrient-rich southern basin of Lake of the Woods, or perhaps lower light conditions due to the intense smoke that blanketed the lake throughout July and into the first week of August. The smoke conditions also likely limited the days for which the satellite tools could generate good chlorophyll-a estimates. The satellite tools, developed by Dr. Caren Binding at Environment and Climate Change Canada, hold much promise for long-term monitoring of trends in algae bloom intensity and severity.