Checking out the water; MPCA walks Turtle Creek to determine water’s health
Published 9:07 am Friday, August 23, 2019
- Aaron Peters takes a peak into his net during electrofishing by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency last week on the Turtle Creek. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Ten years ago, members of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency came to Austin to test water quality.
Thursday, they were back in town to see how far things have come.
“We’re coming back 10 years later to see what the progress has been toward our water quality goals,” said Dan Fettig of the MPCA.
The group of five put in on Turtle Creek early Thursday morning at the bridge on Fourth Street SW, just across from Calvary Cemetery. They then went 500 meters upstream, using electrofishing to see what varieties of fish are living in the creek.
Mel Markert holds up a bullhead, one of the species of fish discovered in early electrofishing by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in Turtle Creek Thursday morning. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The small electrical surge stuns the fish and allowing the fish to be identified. They also performed chemistry tests on the creek.
These studies are used to test the overall health of a body of water. The number and variety of fish sampled is alone an indicator as to how healthy Turtle Creek is.
“Health of the fish community gauges health and water quality,” said Mel Markert, another lead biologist helping with Thursday’s work.
It also can indicate erosion elsewhere on a body of water. Tolerant species of fish, those fish that can live in just about any kind of water quality, can be an indication of lower water quality caused by erosion.
During their first sampling, the group found a bullhead, minnows and a variety of darters.
Mel Markert and Marshall Willems do a check of water chemistry on Turtle Creek Thursday morning. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“Especially with what we’ve been seeing this week, it’s on par (to what we’ve found),” Markert said.
During the MPCA’s first visit in 2009 they found 28 species of fish indicating it is a good system. Part of that is a credit to changing environmental practices, but it’s also a credit to more people becoming involved.
“Some places it has varied so much,” Markert said. “In places we see areas where people are really involved, you’ve seen changes.”
Results of Thursday’s testing won’t be known until early next week in terms of a species count and later own the road for the chemistry makeup.
