BAY CITY, WI – Catherine’s Pass

Bay City, WI; Catherine’s Pass (aka Katrina’s Pass) is an area of much concern, discussion, public feedback and planning over the last year of so.  You can read about the project that will impact this area at Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance (LPLA).

You can easily see the sediment flowing into the area via Google Maps.  Follow the fuchsia colored lines outlining the sediment settling into Bay City Bay.  At one of the public meeting held in Bay City, a local resident recalled that the Isabelle River used to flow into the bay (red line), but that changed course over the years and now flows out of the bay (turquoise line) likely due to sediment build up.

The Problem

Lake Pepin is also threatened by excess nutrients leading to eutrophication and downstream impacts. Phosphorous is the limiting nutrient and excess input from the surrounding landscape has led to eutrophication, characterized by algae blooms that reduce light and oxygen thereby threatening animal and plant survival. It is estimated that the accumulation of phosphorus in Lake Pepin sediment has increased 15-fold since 1830. This eutrophication process is tightly linked with sedimentation because phosphorous binds to soil particles, which are transported together down the watersheds to Lake Pepin. Nitrogen input is also affecting local water quality with cascading impacts all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, where a large hypoxic area, or “dead zone”, has formed at the Mississippi delta leading to environmental problems, such as fish kills. 
~LPLA

You can also see quite a difference between 1938 and present day.  The Islands have grown in size, and cuts (or passes) have been eliminated as the sediments has filled them in.  The sediment is only the beginning.

These panoramas of the area were shot shortly after sunrise on Saturday September 28th 2019.  It is such a beautiful area.  I love photographing the area and my wife and I enjoy kayaking here as well.  I am hopeful that the project to address the issues in this area moves forward and is fully funded.  If you love this area too, please familiarize your self with the issue, get involved and consider donating to the cause through Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance.