Browsing by Author "Ruzycki, Elaine"
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Item Amity Restoration Assessment: Water quality, fish, bugs, people(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2013) Axler, Richard P; Brady, Valerie; Ruzycki, Elaine; Henneck, Jerald; Will, Norman; Crouse, A; Dumke, Josh; Hell, Robert VThis project is also a new contribution from the Weber Stream Restoration Initiative (WSRI) that began in 2005 via private endowments to create a Partnership of university scientists and extension educators, and local, state and federal agency staff to restore and protect Lake Superior Basin trout streams (www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/weber/index.html). The WSRI features a demonstration project targeting the turbidity and sediment impaired Amity Creek watershed for multiple restoration activities. It was awarded an Environmental Stewardship Award from the Lake Superior Binational Forum in 2010 and was honored state-wide by the [Minnesota] Environmental Initiative in May 2013 by being awarded the “Partnership of the Year” for its activities, key elements being: (1) its website for local community education about watershed and water resource issues; (2) creation of interactive, on-line animations of real-time water quality with interpretive information from a site near Amity’s discharge into the Lester River just above its discharge into Lake Superior (within the St. Louis River AOC); (3) development of a multi-agency/organization partnership to pursue trout stream restoration and conservation activities throughout the western Lake Superior basin; (4) designing and carrying out two major Amity restoration projects in 2009 with the City of Duluth and South St. Louis SWCD; (5) mapping landscape stressors for highlighting areas of higher risk for environmental impacts as well as conducting a detailed reconnaissance of riparian zone sediment sources for priority remediation (SSL SWCD, 2009); and (6) developing a successful EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project to fund additional restoration related activities from 2010-2014 (MPCA, NRRI-UMD, SSL SWCD partnership, 2010, $843,616).Item Analytical Chemistry and Quality Assurance Procedures for Natural Water, Wastewater, and Sediment Samples, 1998(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1998) Ameel, John J; Ruzycki, Elaine; Owen, Christopher J; Axler, Richard POne of the fundamental responsibilities of water management is the establishment of continuing programs to insure the reliability and validity of data. Effective research in water pollution and management depends on a valid laboratory data base, which in tum may contribute to sound evaluations of both the progress of the research itself and the viability of available water pollution and management alternatives.Item Analytical chemistry and quality assurance procedures for natural water, wastewater, and sediment samples, 2015(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2015-06-01) Ruzycki, Elaine; Henneck, Jerald; Axler, Richard PItem Assessing Acid‐Sensitive Lakes in the Superior National Forest(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2019-04) Ruzycki, Elaine; Henneck, Jerald; Bartsch, Will; Axler, Richard PThis collaboration between the Superior National Forest unit of the US Forest Service (USFS SNF) and the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) began in late 2015 and has continued since. Initial discussions, with additional input from MPCA staff, led to four main goals, all intended to increase SNF’s long-term ability to determine the present condition of their lakes and if statistically significant trends exist: (1) Assess the current water quality – in particular, the acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) – of three SNF study lakes in northeastern Minnesota by analyzing a suite of major ions and nutrients in samples collected by FS staff; (2) Compile available historical SNF lake water quality data, assure the quality of these data, and then combine them into a searchable database; (3) Conduct exploratory statistical analyses to identify long-term trends in any of the datasets; and (4) Compare SNF lake summary statistics to those for lakes within the broader Upper Midwest ecoregion determined by the US EPA National Lakes Assessment (NLA) and by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) for the Laurentian mixed forest (# 212) province.Item Data for Discovery and Decision-Making: LakeSuperiorStreams.org(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2010) Axler, Richard P; Will, Norman; Henneck, Jerald; Carlson, Todd; Ruzycki, Elaine; Host, George E; Sjerven, Gerald; Schomberg, Jesse; Kleist, Chris; Hagley, CynthiaAn estimated 720 perennial and 127 intermittent streams flow into L. Superior, including 309 trout streams and their tributaries (>2100 miles) along the North Shore and St. Louis River Estuary alone. Bedrock escarpments create a high density of stream corridors in forested watersheds with steep gradients, thin erodible soils, typically low productivity, and “flashy” hydrology. These high-quality trout streams are sensitive to urbanization and rural development by factors raising water temperature and increasing water and sediment runoff, e.g. openings in riparian cover/canopy, impervious surfaces, road crossings, construction runoff, and the warming and increased frequency of severe storms predicted by climate change models (Wuebbles & Hayhoe 2003). Tributary streams are increasingly threatened by development as urbanization and rural development place increased pressure on the Lake Superior region’s coastal communities. Between 1992 and 2001, a 33% increase in low-intensity development occurred within the basin with an alarming transition from agricultural lands to urban/suburban sprawl (Wolter et al. 2007). In the early 1990s, over 50 new lodging establishments were constructed along the Superior North Shore, and from 1990-1996 Cook County, MN experienced a 24% population increase (MPCA 2000). Stream fish, amphibians, and the invertebrates that sustain them are being adversely impacted by increased temperature, excessive peak flows, turbidity and suspended solids, road salts, organic matter, and nutrients from increased development (Anderson et al. 2003). This conclusion is supported by the fact that 11 of 27 major Minnesota North Shore trout streams have been listed as Impaired (2010) since the 1990s and remain on the State 303(d) list - primarily for turbidity, temperature, and fish tissue-Hg. The integrity of these watersheds is also critical to the condition of the coastal and offshore waters of Lake Superior. The streams discharge directly into the nutrient and sediment sensitive coastal zone of ultra-oligotrophic L. Superior, or indirectly into the lake via the St. Louis River Estuary, itself an IJC designated Area of Concern and a zero discharge (of persistent organic pollutants (IJC 1999; MPCA 2000), in part because of its levels of phosphorus and suspended sediment. This is particularly important because the lake’s nearshore zone is the source of much of its biological productivity and recreational use, but is nutrient deficient and therefore, very sensitive to excess inputs of nutrients, suspended solids, turbidity and organic matter (e.g. Sterner et al. 2004; Rose and Axler 1998). Therefore, despite the fact that Lake Superior and its tributaries are among the most pristine waters in Minnesota and in the entire Great Lakes Basin, some of these resources are already stressed by increased urbanization and tourism. This creates the unusual challenge of how to inform the public, businesses, and local units of government (LGUs) that these resources need protection when few problems are obvious to the untrained eye. This project has built on the foundation established by the award-winning project www.LakeSuperiorStreams.org (LSS) that was created in 2002 via an EPA grant to a Partnership of the City of Duluth Stormwater Utility, the University of Minnesota –Duluth (Natural Resources Research Institute, Minnesota Sea Grant, and Department of Education), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (Duluth Office), the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, the Great Lakes Aquarium, and the Lake Superior Zoo (Axler et al. 2006, 2003; Lonsdale et al. 2006). The original partnership has remained substantially intact since 2002. The ultimate goal continues to be to improve environmental decision-making by: (1) Enhancing public understanding of the connections between weather, hydrology, land use and the condition of water resources in urban and rural watersheds, and (2) Providing easy access to tools for accomplishing the protection of un-impaired resource and cost-effective restoration of degraded sites.Item DuluthStreams heads north: Making North Shore stream data make sense to citizens and local officials(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007-09-25) Axler, Richard P; Will, Norman; Host, George E; Henneck, Jerald; Lonsdale, David; Sjerven, Gerald; Reed, Jane; Ruzycki, Elaine; Hagley, Cynthia; Schomberg, Jesse; Carlson, Todd; Lonsdale, MarnieThe Duluth Streams website initially focused primarily within City of Duluth boundaries, but some of the streams that intersect Duluth originate in the surrounding communities of Hermantown and Proctor. In addition, Duluth and Superior share the St. Louis River watershed. The current project enabled us to fully expand the DuluthStreams website into a regional entity. It was built on a previous, but limited, Lake Superior Coastal Program Enhancement Fund effort to Minnesota Sea Grant at the University of Minnesota and partners that created web links to Proctor, Hermantown and Superior on the DuluthStreams website. This made these communities ideal as the first candidates for a regional expansion. As the project continued to evolve it became clear from discussions within the RSPT and with state agencies that there was a need to expand the focus area of the website to include the “greater Western Lake Superior” region and more specifically the Minnesota North Shore and Wisconsin South Shore in order to better manage Superior Basin water resources by supporting the mission of the RSPT regarding developing regional technical cooperation and collaboration, common educational materials, and presentation of case studies of successful stormwater designs. Minnesota streams draining into the Lake Superior coastal zone and St. Louis River Estuary are typically sensitive, low productivity, high-quality trout streams. Some (Miller, Amity, Lester, Talmadge, French, Poplar, Brule) are currently listed on the MN Clean Water Act (303d) List of Impaired Waters - most commonly for turbidity and Fish-Hg (MPCA 2006). Steep topography and thin, erodible soils make these streams particularly sensitive to development. Effective management and remediation of these streams requires an understanding of their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, which can only be obtained by monitoring, particularly during storm and snowmelt runoff events, when the most dramatic impacts occur. These data are critical for developing and assessing BMPs, particularly in the face of increased development in the high growth watersheds along the North Shore of Lake Superior (e.g. Anderson et al. 2003; MPCA 2000; IJC 1999). MPCA initiated long-term monitoring of 6 critical streams along the North Shore in 2002. However, MPCA has lacked the resources to install automated water quality sensors, which are needed to capture critical pollutant loading events during high flows - important for developing cost-effective remediation and mitigation strategies.Item DuluthStreams.org: Community Partnerships for Understanding Urban Stormwater and Water Quality Issues at the Head of the Great Lakes(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2004-12) Axler, Richard P; Lonsdale, Marion; Reed, Jane; Hagley, Cynthia; Schomberg, Jesse; Henneck, Jerald; Host, George E; Will, Norman; Ruzycki, Elaine; Sjerven, Gerald; Richards, Carl; Munson, BruceThis final report summarizes the accomplishments of the Duluth Streams Partnership from its inception through an EPA Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) Program grant in January 2002 through September 2004. Duluth, Minnesota lies at the westernmost end of Lake Superior, the source and headwaters of the entire Laurentian Great Lakes ecosystem. Although perhaps better known for its extremely cold winters, Duluth residents and visitors know it as a city of forested hills, wetlands and trout streams with 42 named creeks and streams moving through the City in 30 subwatersheds. Duluth's park system is one of the most extensive in the nation, and the City owns and maintains 11,000 acres, including 125 municipal parks. Streams form the fabric of the aesthetic appeal and character of Duluth (Duluth Vision 2000), but are also the core of the City’s stormwater runoff system, with 250 miles of storm sewer, 93 miles of creek, 4,716 manholes, 2 lift stations, 13 sediment boxes, and over 138 miles of roadway ditches. Urbanization and rural development have placed increased pressure on the region’s coastal communities and on Duluth’s urban streams, in particular, on the 12 (with 2 more pending) that are designated as Trout Streams and 14 that are classified as Protected Waters. In addition, since the early 1990s, over 50 new lodging establishments were constructed along Lake Superior’s North Shore. One county located along the North Shore of Lake Superior (Cook) experienced a 24% population increase during that time. Stream communities of fish and amphibians and the invertebrates that sustain them are being adversely impacted by increased temperature, excessive turbidity and suspended solids, road salts, organic matter, and nutrients. Some of these streams have been placed on the Minnesota List of Impaired Waters, and several have been targeted for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) development. Further, all of these streams discharge either directly into ultra-oligotrophic Lake Superior or indirectly via the St. Louis River Estuary- Duluth Superior Harbor. This is particularly important because Lake Superior has been designated as a zero-discharge demonstration project by the International Joint Commission for eliminating inputs of persistent toxic chemicals to the Great Lakes system. Second, the lake’s nearshore zone, the source of much of its biological productivity, is extremely nutrient deficient and sensitive to increased inputs of nutrients, suspended solids, turbidity, and organic matter. Lastly, the Harbor itself is one of the 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) because of serious impairments to its beneficial uses. There are also significant social and economic impacts associated with this region - the Minnesota DNR reports that angling in North Shore streams and Lake Superior produces $63 million in direct sales and income and over 1,200 jobs. For North Shore streams alone, the numbers are over $33 million direct sales and income, and over 435 jobs. Stormwater issues have become increasingly important to resource and regulatory agencies and to the general public. In 1998 the City of Duluth established a stormwater utility to address the quality and quantity of surface water moving through the City and in 2003 was issued a Stormwater Permit under Phase II of the federal Clean Water Act’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Beginning in January 2002, under funding through EPA EMPACT in combination with in-kind effort from various agencies, the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) and Minnesota Sea Grant formed a partnership with the City of Duluth, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the Great Lakes Aquarium, and the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) to create Duluth Streams. Additional partners have since joined together to form a Regional Stormwater Protection Team (RSPT). The Partnership's chief goal is to enhance the general public's understanding of aquatic ecosystems and their connections to watershed land use to provide both economic and environmental sustainability. The project’s majors objectives were to: 1) link real-time remote sensing of water quality in four urban streams and GIS technology to current and historical water quality and biological databases (all 42 Duluth streams) using advanced data visualization tools in World Wide Web and information kiosk formats; 2) incorporate visually engaging interpretive text, animations and videos into the Duluth Streams website to illustrate the nature and consequences of degraded stormwater and the real costs to society; and 3) engage the public in the stormwater issue via programmatic activities such as establishing high school directed neighborhood stewardship and/or monitoring of 3 streams, developing curricula for high school and college students for inclusion in our Water on the Web curriculum, hosting a Duluth Streams Congress as a community forum for presenting all project results, and adapting the Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) program to the greater Duluth Metropolitan Area. This final report summarizes the accomplishments of the Duluth Streams Partnership from its inception in January 2002 through September 2004. The website at htttp://duluthstreams.org is the focus of the project and offers water quality, biological, and GIS data in the context of a variety of school- and community-oriented educational material.Item East Two River Calcium Loading Study: Headwaters to Lake Vermilion(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2017-02-17) Henneck, Jerald; Ruzycki, Elaine; Bernhardt, BethThis project is a component of the broader Lake Vermilion Zebra Mussel habitat assessment initiated by the Vermilion Lake Association (VLA), formerly known as the Sportsmen’s Club of Lake Vermilion. Project goals were (1) to quantify calcium concentrations and loads seasonally from East Two River into Lake Vermilion; and (2) determine how calcium concentrations change longitudinally in the lower reaches of East Two River before it discharges into Pike Bay of Lake Vermilion. As a bivalve mollusk, zebra mussels require a certain minimum concentration of calcium for shell growth and reproduction.Item Effects of Water Level Fluctuations and Regulation on Upper Great Lakes Nearshore Ecosystems: An Annotated Bibliography(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2009-07) Brady, Valerie; Ruzycki, ElaineThis is an annotated bibliography of literature relating to the effects of water level fluctuations on ecosystems and biota of the Laurentian Great Lakes. This report was created in support of investigations into the potential ecosystem effects of altering the water level regulation of Lake Superior at the St. Marys River lock and dam system. Because such a change would most affect lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron, we tried to concentrate on these lakes. However, we have included quite a bit of literature from lakes Erie and Ontario, where there has been more investigation of water level fluctuations (or lack thereof) and water level regulation. We have also included pertinent literature from around the world on effects of water level fluctuations in large lake and reservoir systems, primarily because of the paucity of pertinent literature for the upper Great Lakes.Item Historical Water Quality Data Assessment of the Great Lakes Network(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006) Axler, Richard P; Ruzycki, Elaine; Host, George E; Henneck, JeraldThe objective of this analysis was to assess a large body of water quality data collected across Parks of the Great Lakes Network over more than two decades, make recommendations on sampling and data issues, and to the degree possible, identify trends in water quality that could be derived from these data.Item Limnological Assistance to Itasca County, MN for “Lake Protection Tools for Itasca County”(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2005-01) Jereczek, John; Ruzycki, Elaine; Axler, Richard PItem Low Impact Development to reduce North Shore runoff: Successes, challenges, and lessons learned(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2012-04-21) Axler, Richard P; Schomberg, Jesse; Will, Norman; Henneck, Jerald; Carlson, Todd; Ruzycki, Elaine; Host, George E; Sjerven, Gerald; Kleist, Chris; Hagley, CynthiaThe project supported the LakeSuperiorStreams project9s stream monitoring and assessment network and the Superior Regional Stormwater Protection Team’s educational and technical assistance missions by helping to fund: (1) the water quality data and associated interpretive information needed to assess, model and manage threatened trout streams and the coastal zone of Lake Superior; and (2) the dissemination of low impact design information specific to the region to help communities reduce their stormwater runoff and erosion impacts on sensitive water resources. Resource agencies require better estimates of seasonal, year-to-year and stream-to- stream variability in water quality to address stream impairments and develop effect remediation and restoration strategies. The project has continued to produce on-line, no-cost data, data visualization opportunities, GIS landuse and land cover mapping and analytical tools, and educational information for a broad technical and non-technical audience.Item Minnesota lake water quality on-line database and visualization tools for exploratory trend analyses(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2009-08-31) Axler, Richard P; Will, Norman; Ruzycki, Elaine; Henneck, Jerald; Olker, Jennifer; Swintek, JoeItem St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC) Data Visualization(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2016-11-30) Will, Norman; Axler, Richard P; Ruzycki, Elaine; Host, George EThe project described here involved 1) compiling and integrating surface water quality date (i.e. manually collected grab samples) collected since the 1950s which have been quality assured as indicated by their inclusion in EPS's STORET data base or via more modern federal and/or state certification programs, into a common database to expand the current (thalwed, i.e. main channel) tool's time range through 2015; and 20 developing a new application that would allow on-lin users to view and animate synoptic data (i.e. data collected from multiple stations on the same date) via bubble plots.Item St. Louis River Watershed Streams & Lakes: Water Quality/Biological Monitoring(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2011-06-29) Axler, Richard P; Breneman, Dan; Brady, Valerie; Johnson, Lucinda B; Ruzycki, Elaine; Henneck, Jerald; Olker, Jennifer; Host, George E; Brown, Terry; Bartsch, WillThis provisional report is an addendum to the Surface Water Assessment Final Report entitled Surface Water Assessment St. Louis River Watershed: Streams and Lakes: Water quality/biological monitoring submitted to the MPCA electronically on June 29, 2011. That final report summarizes the water quality, habitat, macroinvertebrate, and fish data previously submitted to MPCA as the major part of this SWA project. This provisional report represents a detailed summary of the statistical analyses that the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota-Duluth is conducting using the data collected from this project together with previous and ongoing landscape stressor analyses conducted by NRRI via other funding sources over the past several years.Item Superior Streams Algal Assessment Protocol(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2019-09-30) Ruzycki, Elaine; Axler, Richard PThis project involved collaboration between the University of MN- Duluth, the City of Duluth, the MPCA, and a new Citizen Science/Crowdsourcing collaborative to develop quantitative and semi-quantitative protocols for assessing the biomass of periphyton (algae attached to rocks) during summer in Duluth Area trout streams for use by professional aquatic scientists and by citizen scientists. Traditional techniques based on chlorophyll-a and organic matter from rock scrapes (adapted from EPA and USGS) were combined with Visual Assessment techniques developed and well vetted in New Zealand and Montana. Summer 2018 and 2019 measurements established baseline conditions for trout streams currently being assessed as part of a State led WRAPS (Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy) demonstration project for Duluth’s 43 named streams. In addition, historical periphyton data generated by federal and university research projects over the past 20 years were compiled and summarized to allow for a first assessment of the temporal and spatial patterns in wadeable stream algae in the region. The Visual Assessment tools were tested for potential use in a new citizen science and crowd sourcing collaborative in the western Lake Superior region promoting participatory public engagement to improve watershed and water resource understanding and stewardship in the Lake Superior Basin. Results and protocols are described and disseminated to the public and stakeholder groups via the LakeSuperiorstreams.org website. Overall Project Objectives 1. Generate baseline quantitative (epilithic algal biomass/m2 of rock substrate) and semi-quantitative (visual assessment index and images) periphyton data from designated trout streams in the Duluth Area in summer 2018-9 for use by MPCA and MDNR in assessing the condition of these streams and for potential inclusion in the State’s water resource assessment process. 2. Develop and field test an attached algal biomass index (epilithic [rock substrate] periphyton) for use in Lake Superior Basin trout streams adapted from existing federal (EPA, USGS), international (New Zealand), and state (Montana, California) protocols for wadeable streams and lakeshores. It will build on a prior MLSCP funded project for the Superior shoreline. 3. Compile and report to the State comparable historic attached trout stream algae data collected since 1996 by EPA-MED and NRRI/UMD scientists along with 2017 data for MPCA and MDNR to use in determining temporal trends, comparing streams, and examining longitudinal changes within several trout streams having a gradient of watershed land use and land cover. 4. Promote a new tool for use by citizen scientists in the western Lake Superior region, especially the St. Louis River RiverWatch community (serving ~ 800 students each year). The sites established for testing the tool will be drawn from a newly created set of CrowdHydrology.org in Duluth sites (within a national USGS network) that was funded by MLSCP in collaboration with MPCA’s current Duluth Metropolitan Area WRAPS project for protecting Duluth’s urban trout streams. 5. All data and information, and its rationale will be made available via tabulations, map-based data finders, and narrative statements on the LakeSuperiorStreams.org for use by partner outreach professionals (MN and WI Sea Grant, LS NERR, UMN-Extension, MPCA, MDNR, RSPT, et al.) in helping people better understand how streams “work”, and how negative impacts on habitat and aquatic organisms and water quality can result from inadequate land use planning and implementation.Item Surface Water Quality Assessment of Apostle Island National Lakeshore - 2004(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006-05) Axler, Richard P; Ruzycki, Elaine; Henneck, Jerald; Host, George ENRRI and Apostle Island National Lakeshore staff sampled five open water sites in Lake Superior and 3 island lagoon sites three times during summer and fall 2004. The NPS Co^re ^uite parameters (temperature, specific conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH; NPS 2002) and water clarity were measured at all sites each sampling trip. Water and sediment samples were collected for additional chemical and biological analyses, along with zooplankton and benthic invertebrate sampling. The Core Suite of water quality parameters has been established by the NPS as part of a basic set of water quality measurements to be made for all monitored NPS aquatic resources along with lake level in lakes and some measure of flow in running waters (NPS 2002). NRRI also recommended to GLKN that a measure of water quality such as secchi depth for lakes, and transparency tube clarity for streams and lakes and wetlands too shallow for secchi depth measurement should always be considered as an additional Core Suite parameter (Axler et al. 2005a). A second set of water quality measurements is called the Advanced ^uite which includes parameters such as chlorophyll-a, nutrients (forms of nitrogen and phosphorus), major anions and cations, micronutrients, etc.Item Volunteer Assisted Water Quality and Biological Monitoring of North Shore Superior Streams Project(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2008-05) Axler, Richard P; Ruzycki, Elaine; Brady, Valerie; Breneman, DanItem Water Quality Monitoring Protocol for Inland Lakes : Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2008-06) Elias, Joan; Axler, Richard P; Ruzycki, Elaine