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Little Pelican Lake Total Phosphorus

Phosphorus is the limiting nutrient in lakes, meaning that plants and algae need it to grow, and the amount of plants and algae present in the lake depends on how much phosphorus is available. Generally, the less phosphorus in the lake, the better the water quality for recreation. more information on total phosphorus

Pelican Lake total phosphorus concentration at Site 202 has been monitored from 2003 to 2011, and has an average of 22.4 ppb. This is higher than the phosphorus levels in Big Pelican Lake (15.3 pbb). The Pelican River discharges into Little Pelican Lake, and contributes 75% of the phosphorus in Big Pelican Lake.

2011 Results

In 2011, Site 202 was monitored for total phosphorus. The average total phosphorus for 2011 was 22.7, which is the similar to the historical average of 22.4. The phosphorus in Little Pelican lake comes from the Pelican River, so any phosphorus loading upstream in Detroit Lakes eventually goes into Little Pelican Lake.

Table 1. 2011 Total Phosphorus results.

Little Pelican Lake is phosphorus limited, which means that algae and aquatic plant growth is dependent upon available phosphorus. The total phosphorus concentration starts out low in the spring and gradually increases throughout the summer. This pattern is typical for a shallow lake in Minnesota. It is most likely due to internal loading.

Historical Total Phosphorus results: 2003-2011:

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