An introduction to Lake of the Woods—from science to governance in an international waterbody

Figures & data

Figure 1. Lake of the Woods (from DeSellas et al. 2009).

Figure 2. Generalized water flow paths in the southern and central basins of Lake of the Woods. Dotted black line is international border, circle is hydrologic outlet of southern basins in the Big Narrows vicinity.

Table 1. Lake total phosphorus guidelines, standards, or objectives for Manitoba, Ontario, and Minnesota waters of Lake of the Woods.

Province / state	Total phosphorus value (µg/L)	Note	Source
Manitoba	25	Guideline; to prevent nuisance algal growth	Manitoba Water Stewardship 2011
Ontario	20	Interim objective (1979); ice-free period average to avoid nuisance algae. Ontario has also introduced a new, lake-specific objective for inland lakes on the Precambrian Shield – a 50% increase in TP concentrations from undeveloped levels, based on modeled predictions.	Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy 1994; Ontario Ministry of the Environment 2010
Minnesota	30	Standard; Jun–Sep average for cool and warm water lakes in Minnesota's Northern Lakes and Forest Ecoregion	Heiskary and Wilson 2008

DeSellas AM, Paterson AM, Clark BJ, Baratono NG, Sellers TJ. 2009. State of the Basin report for Lake of the Woods and Rainy River Basin. Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation. Available from https://lowwsf.com/sobr/19-2009-sobr-webres/file

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Manitoba Water Stewardship. 2011. Manitoba water quality standards, objectives, and guidelines. Manitoba Water Stewardship Report 2011–01. Available from https://www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/water_quality/quality/pdf/mb_water_quality_standard_final.pdf

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Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Energy. 1994. Provincial water quality objects of the Ministry of Environment and Energy. Available from https://dr6j45jk9xcmk.cloudfront.net/documents/3016/moeprovincialwaterqualityobjectivesen.pdf

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Ontario Ministry of the Environment. 2010. Ontario's lakeshore capacity assessment handbook; Appendix A - rationale for a revised phosphorus criterion for Pre-Cambrian shield lakes in Ontario. Toronto (ON). Available from https://dr6j45jk9xcmk.cloudfront.net/documents/1155/87-lakeshore-capacity-assessment-handbook-fr-2.pdf

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Heiskary SA, Wilson CB. 2008. Minnesota's approach to lake nutrient criteria development. Lake Reserv Manage. 24:282–297.

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