HomeMy WebLinkAbout1C Markley Lake - Council Work Session slidesPete Young
Andy Brotzler
Brian Welch
Markley Lake Flooding
July 15, 2019
Workshop Purpose
The purpose of this meeting is
to review the current water
level at Markley Lake and
discuss short-term and long-
term options within historical
context.
Physical Characteristics
•Closed basin –no natural outlet
•water leaves via evaporation and
infiltration
•19 acres + 3.5 acres
compensatory storage (2013)
•Watershed of ~350 acres, roughly
60% developed land
Map
2018 Aerial Photo
Historical Lake Levels
Compiled data from aerial photos:
•1937 (Dust Bowl) –lake is reduced to
small marsh
•1957 –lake is partially refilled
•1964 (drought) –multiple small ponds
•1970-1990 –lake fills to current level
•1997-2013 –lake level varies from
year to year, but seems to be rising
Map 1937 Aerial Photo
(Dust Bowl)
Map
2018 Aerial Photo
1957 Aerial Photo
Map 1964 Aerial Photo
Map 1970 Aerial Photo
Map 1980 Aerial Photo
Map 1990 Aerial Photo
Map 1997 Aerial Photo
Map 2000 Aerial Photo
Map 2007 Aerial Photo
Map 2013 Aerial Photo
(April, before
Excavation)
Map 2015 Aerial Photo
(Comp. Storage)
Map 2018 Aerial Photo
Historical Data
Compiled data from:
•DNR: sporadic lake level
measurements since 1994
•City documents: lake levels related to
1998-99 pumping permit application
and reporting
•Recent level data from city loggers
•Nat’l Weather Service (Chanhassen)
precipitation data
Historical Records
1998-’99
Flood
Lake level range: 11 ft
1998-1999 Event
Note the wet
lead-in to winter
City, WMO, Twpgetpumping permit from DNRCity, WMO, Twprenewpumping permit from DNRLake drops:
~0.03”/day w/o pump
~0.15”/day w/pump
Historical Records
1998-’99
Flood
2018-’19
Flood
Markley LakeFlood Study (2009)
2019 Event
Very wet summer,
but no flood
Lake drops at
~0.03”/day, same as
Prior Lake
Very wet fall,
deep snowpack,
very wet spring
Initial Interpretations
•Markley Lake level has varied by 11 ft over the
last 20 years
•Conditions leading to high water:
•Wet fall right before freeze-up
•Wet winter and/or spring
•Continued rain into summer
•or: Single very wet month (2014)
•Pumping lowers lake 3-5 times faster
(0.15”/day) than normal (0.03”/day)
•Theoretically, 2019 should have been worse
than 1998
What’s Next?
Near-term:
•Work with affected city residents
•Continue to maintain upstream
water retention infrastructure
•Work with Twp , WMO, DNR on
short-term response(s)
Long-term:
•Work with Twp , WMO, DNR on long-
term policy/mitigation
•WMO ideally is the lead agency
since watershed spans multiple
jurisdictions
Questions/Discussion