CEQUALW2 water-quality model and supporting LOADEST models for Lake St. Croix, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 2013

A mechanistic, biophysical water-quality model (CEQUALW2) was developed and calibrated for Lake St. Croix, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Lake St. Croix CEQUALW2 model was simulated and calibrated using data collected from April through November 2013. Loads developed for the model were based on water-quality data collected by various agencies, including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The calibrated model was used to evaluate good- and optimal-growth habitat availability for lake sturgeon using coldwater fish oxygen and thermal requirements, as part of the associated report, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5157 (http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/SIR20175157).