The Pelican Creek watershed is mainly comprised of rolling hills and the local land use is mostly agricultural, with occurrences of pastures and some areas of row crop. Pelican Creek itself was listed as an impaired waterway on the EPA’s 303(d) list in 2012 for a low macro-invertebrate index of biological integrity (IBI) score. Due to a recalculation of the IBI score the impairment, however, is not included in the Watershed Stressor Identification Report or Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Report created by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Lake Christina is a 3,949-acre shallow lake that is listed under the EPA’s 303(d) impaired waters list for high levels of nutrients and mercury. This lake is a nationally recognized staging area for migratory waterfowl. An intensive study of migratory bird use and nutrient monitoring was completed by the MN Department of Natural Resources. Lake Christina Reclamation: Ecosystem Consequences of Biomanipulation.
*Please Note: Not all water bodies in the provided map have been fully assessed for recreational and biological impairments. Funding and time constraints have limited monitoring efforts.