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5.1. SR 12-14-2009Lake Orono City of Elk River Planning Session December 2009 Copyright ©2009 –Lake Orono Improvement Association, Inc. Lake Opportunities •Impaired Water Quality –The most public of issues –Fecal Coliform& Phosphorus are the main offenders –Working to identify largest contributors –We need to reduce the number of Beach postings •Invasive Aquatic Vegetation Issue (Curly Leaf Pondweed) –A problem that requires intervention –Looking for help to aggressively address this issue •The longer we wait, the more expensive (environmentally and economically) –LOIA supports the lake draw down control technique –A long term plan is needed •Dredging Strategy –10 years have passed since the Dredging –Studies are needed to determine best path forward •Cost and environmental impact avoidance Lake Opportunities •Conservation Activities –Annual stocking of game fish will continue –2009 and 2010 will be suspended due to planned lake draw down in the fall of 2010 to support CLP control •Lake Management Plan –Addresses Long term lake viability –A comprehensive plan that includes: •Impaired Water Quality •Invasive Aquatic Vegetation Control •Waterway Navigation Preservation •Erosion •Conservation –Describes the Partnerships between the City, County, State & Community –Seeking grant funds to update this living document Lake Orono 2010 Plan Cost ActivityTime LineResourcesEstimateFunding Source LOIA, Elk River Community, City of Elk River, Sherburne SWCD, LOIA, City of Elk River, DNR, Elk River Utilities, DNR, Elk River Curly Leaf Pond Weed ControlOct 2010S2SLaborUtilities,S2S Deferred in 2010 due to planned lake Fish Stockingdraw downn/an/an/a LOIA, City of Elk River, Labor and Lab LOIA, City of Elk River, Water TestingOn GoingSherburne SWCDCostsSherburne SWCD LOIA, City of Elk River, Dredging StudySummer 2010Wenk$5,000City of Elk River Keep Lake Orono a Valuable Economic and Environmental Resource Back up Charts October 2009 Copyright ©2009 –Lake Orono Improvement Association, Inc. Lake Orono Map CLPW Flyer & Petetion Curly Leaf Pondweed Control Plan •A team consisting of the Sherburne County Soil and Water Conservation District, City of Elk River Environmental staff and the Lake Orono Improvement Association Water Quality Committee has concluded the best resolution is a managed lake drawdown in the fall to allow a hard freeze kill of this damaging weed. •The water elevation adjustments would be done during the timeframe of mid-to late October in a gradual manner when average daytime temperatures are still 50 –55 degrees Fahrenheit. This technique will facilitate a proper environment for animal species adaptation during this temporary action. The water level would remain down until a hard freeze occurs. •This will allow us to achieve the environmental objective of Invasive Curly Leaf Pondweed reduction while accounting for all desired species survival, most notably, the threatened Blanding Turtles. Curly Leaf Pondweed Control Plan The Lake Drawdown Process: •75% of Lake Property Owners need to sign a Petition asking the City of Elk River to apply for a Lake Drawdown permit from the MN DNR. (by law, the City must apply for the permit) –Petition signing is in process, estimate completion by the end of 2009 •The City of Elk River is required to hold a Public Hearing on the Issue •The City Council needs to approve the Permit Application before it can be submitted to the MN DNR •The MN DNR will require at least 40 -45 days for processing of the application. Preliminary discussions them indicate that they will likely approve the permit as long as proper provisions are made for wildlife survival, most notably, the Blanding Turtles •The Elk River Municipal Utilities can then start the gradual drawdown process –assuming the weather conditions are adequate •Given the timelines for this process, the draw down would likelyoccur in the fall of 2010 The draw down will occur in the fall of 2010