Pig's Eye Lake, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a significant resource in the Mississippi River corridor and serves as habitat for aquatic and terrestrial animals.  Currently, it is a large, turbid, wind-swept backwater lake with limited aquatic vegetation and bathymetric diversity.  The lake has been identified by an interagency group of biologists as an area of the Mississippi River that would benefit from projects to restore or enhance habitat conditions.  However, the primary concern in Pig's Eye Lake is accumulated contaminants in bottom sediments that could be mobilized or exposed by restoration activities. 

Environmental Contaminants biologists at the Twin Cities Ecological Services Field Office continue to partner with other natural resource agencies to piece together contaminant conditions in Pig's Eye Lake.  Personnel from several agencies have contributed time, money and expertise to pull together critical information that will assist in scoping the feasibility and design of potential future restoration projects in and around the lake.  Working cooperatively, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, U. S. Geological Survey, National Park Service and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service have begun collecting contaminants data (e.g. metals, organics, perfluorochemicals) from sediment cores, bald eagle blood, and great blue heron eggs.  Such information - along with future collection of additional data from fish, invertebrates and other surrogate species - will provide a comprehensive picture of contaminants in Pig's Eye Lake and the potential for these contaminants to enter the foodweb. 

Restoration projects proposed for Pig's Eye Lake would enhance the environmental value to wildlife, including migratory bird habitat restoration, and enhanced recreational fishing opportunities.  Information collected by the Twin Cities Field Office  Environmental Contaminants Program in cooperation with the other agencies will also be used to brief state representatives who have expressed interest in conducting restoration activities in and around the lake.