Summary

Description

Lake Andes was included in the 1998 South Dakota 303d list as an impairmentrelated Total Maximum Daily Load waterbody. In 1922 Congress passed a bill that established a high water elevation of 1437.25 feet msl, by use of an artificial outlet constructed in 1934, which effectively lowered the water level by 13 feet. The physical and chemical properties of the lake and its tributaries are collected and compared to the maximumminimum allowed values associated with a waterbody with the following beneficial uses: Warmwater marginal fish life propagation, immersion recreation, limited contact recreation, and wildlife propagation, recreation, and stock watering. Lastly, conclusions are presented along with recommendations on management techniques that could limit the amount of nonpoint source pollutants that reach the lake. The primary goal of these management practices is to 1 maintain a dissolved oxygen concentration greater than or equal to 4 mgL in at least a portion of the lake, and 2 to have a total phosphorus concentration of .25 mgL, which is reported to be obtainable by reducing the total phosphorus loads reaching the lake by 36.