Watershed Receives Funding for Pickerel Lake Subwatershed

Watershed Receives $825,000 in Funding for Pickerel Lake Subwatershed

For Immediate Release: June 2, 2016

For More Information Contact: Courtney Christensen 507-379-8782

On Wednesday, May 25th the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) announced that the

Shell Rock River Watershed District received $825,000 to target projects in the Pickerel Lake

Subwatershed. Pickeral Lake is located west of Albert Lea, but is actually considered the top of the Shell

Rock River Watershed District. According to Courtney Christensen, Resource Technician for the

Watershed District, “This latest grant award is the culmination of years of work improving the water and

habitat quality at the top of our watershed. This is a win for our community, but especially for our

lakes.”

This is the third round of Clean Water Fund grants totaling $8.17 million that will help local governments

from around the state to accelerate their efforts in conservation work and taking a targeted approach to

addressing water quality issues. This is the first time the Shell Rock River Watershed has received

funding from this source.

“It is our hope that the projects resulting from this grant could be the final step in achieving water

quality standards for Pickerel Lake,” said Courtney Christensen. “Once water quality standards are

consistently met, Pickerel Lake can be removed from the Minnesota impaired waters list. “Removing

Pickerel Lake from the impaired waters list is a key priority to the District, we have put a lot of time and

effort into that lake with the reclamation process,” said Director of Field Operations, Andy Henschel.

Projects in the Targeted Watershed Program focus on addressing water quality impairments that are

known and can be accomplished in a four year window timeframe. Projects included in this Program

consist of grassed waterways, streambank restorations, wetland restorations, rock inlets and ditch

improvements.

For more information about the Targeted Watershed Program, and BWSR’s other Clean Water Fund

programs, visit www.bwsr.mn.us. More information about the Shell Rock River Watershed District can

be found at the District’s website at: www.shellrock.org

Pickeral Lake is 620 acres and has a watershed area of 5,120 acres. The maximum lake depth is 6.0 ft

and the average lake depth is 3.8 feet.