Photo by Deb Gau An unnamed ditch that drains into Cottonwood Lake was included in a draft of Minnesota’s 2022 impaired waters list. The MPCA said the ditch had impairments that affected invertebrates and fish in the stream.

LYON COUNTY — When the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency updated its list of impaired waters in the state, three smaller bodies of water in Lyon County — including a ditch that drains into Cottonwood Lake — were among the new additions.

While that doesn’t necessarily mean there are new problems with pollution in area drainage ditches and streams, local officials say the listing could potentially help them in seeking funding for projects like improving water quality at Cottonwood Lake.

“It may be beneficial,” said Cottonwood City Clerk /Administrator Teather Bliss. Being able to show that a ditch flowing into the lake is impaired could help build support for a grant application.

In early November, the MPCA released a draft for its 2022 impaired waters list. Statewide, a total of 305 bodies of water being affected by pollution were added to the list. Of those 305, three were in Lyon County.

One of the new additions to the impaired waters list was an unnamed stream near Taunton that flows into the Yellow Medicine River. Another was a segment of County Ditch 4 north of Green Valley.

The third was an unnamed drainage ditch that starts near Lyon County Road 24 and flows through the city of Cottonwood and into Cottonwood Lake.

All three bodies of water are part of the Yellow Medicine River watershed.

The stream and ditches were all listed for impairments that affected invertebrates or fish.

Impaired waters list coordinator Miranda Nichols said the impairments on those three streams weren’t tied to one specific source of pollution.

“Every stream is a little bit different,” Nichols said.

A combination of factors ranging from water pollution to erosion can all make it harder for fish or aquatic invertebrates to survive.

“A lot of the time, it’s habitat degradation,” she said.

Many drainage ditches in the area are listed as impaired waterways for different reasons, said Michelle Overholser, administrator of the Yellow Medicine River Watershed District. However, Overholser and Bliss said data from the impaired waters list could potentially help them seek funding for water quality projects.

Cottonwood Lake has been on the impaired waters list since 2010, for excessive nutrients in the water. Over the summer, the city of Cottonwood closed its beach due to blue-green algae blooms that posed a health risk to swimmers and pets.

One of the main functions of the Yellow Medicine River Watershed District is to help implement the watershed’s plans for flood mitigation, reducing water pollution, and protecting groundwater quality.

Overholser said the watershed is currently in the middle of a watershed restoration and protection strategy (WRAPS) process, which collects data on lakes and streams and then uses it to set priorities on water projects.

Overholser said one important need for the Yellow Medicine River watershed is finding ways to slow stormwater down and prevent flooding. Cleaning up Cottonwood Lake is another high priority for the watershed district.

The MPCA is currently seeking public comment on the draft 2022 impaired waters list, Nichols said.

“The list might change before we submit it to the EPA,” she said.