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Home My WebLink About04/12/93 MINUTES OF THE LAKE ADVISORY COMMITTEE April 12, 1993 The Lake Advisory Committee meeting was called to order on Wednesday, April 12, 1993 at 6:35 p.m. Members present were: Dave Moran, Bill Packer, Jody Stroh, Dave Vinlove, Tom Watkins, and John Wingard. City staff members present were: Water Resources Coordinator Joel Rutherford and City Manager Frank Boyles. Ex officio members present were: Watershed District Manager Bill Dilks. Members absent were: Pete Patchin. The first item on the agenda was to approve the minutes of March 18, 1993. It was suggested a clarification was needed concerning the bill that some sportsman's clubs were trying to get introduced. It should read "... less than 15 feet deep." MOTION BY WATKINS, SECONDED BY MORAN TO APPROVE THE MARCH 18, 1993 MINUTES, AS AMENDED. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The next item on the agenda was a discussion of the items discussed during the March 18, 1993 meeting, since not enough members were present to vote on the information discussed. The first item was to approve the minutes of February 18, 1993. MOTION BY WINGARD, SECONDED BY PACKER TO APPROVE THE FEBRUARY 17, 1993 MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The next item was the discussion of the McDonald property purchase by the City for a park. A brief summary was presented on what was discussed at the last meeting. Following this discussion, Members talked about how the committee should proceed. It was felt the LAC should not invest a lot of time trying to resolve the problem of developing the peninsula into a park. However, it was agreed that if the issue is boaters' safety, and if in the future, the owner of the peninsula is willing to talk about site improvements, then the committee will work on this issue. Packer offered to work with Mr. Space, to determine his position on the future of this property, and keep the LAC informed of any progress. The members agreed Packer's plan would be the best way to continue at this time. The next item was to discuss recommending that the City Council support a bill that some sportsman's clubs are trying to find a sponsor for. Moran indicated this bill did not get a sponsor, so therefore no recommendation was needed. Packer indicated he believes there would be opposition to such a bill, if it does get introduced in the future. Moran informed the members that one of the reasons for the bill was to limit the spread of eurasian milfoil in infested lakes, by restricting high-speed boat traffic in susceptible areas. 4629 Dakota St. S.E., Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372 / Ph. (612) 447-4230 / Fax (612) 447-4245 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLDYER -----r- The next item was an introduction by City Manager Boyles, of a proposed pOlicy on the selection, performance, and orientation of persons appointed to boards, commissions and committees. Members agreed the policy was a good way to provide individuals a better understanding of their role and responsibilities as appointed members. The next item was a discussion of problems associated with island development and especially septic systems on these islands. Rutherford presented information on the new shoreland ordinance, and how it will affect this type of development in the future. The new ordinance indicates that non conforming septic systems will be required to be upgraded within two years. The members agreed the new ordinance should resolve concerns Members have at this time, and that no further action is needed. Dilks suggested the City investigate the county's policy on licensing requirements for any work done on private septic systems. The next item was a presentation by Watershed District is currently copies of reports that showed lake procedures for the outlet channel. the events that led to the opening Dilks on the projects the working on. Dilks handed out levels and the operational One of these reports explains of the channel this spring. Dilks discussed lake levels from last year and that estimates indicate approximately five feet of water had been taken off of Prior Lake, last year by the outlet. Dilks said the outlet was opened on April 3, 1993 and that the lake elevation is currently at about 903.29. Dilks also presented information on the designed capacity of the outlet, and how the level of the lake determines the actual capacity. Dilks discussed problems occurring downstream of the outlet, especially at Jeffers' ponds. Dilks said logs are restricting flow through the pipes between two of the ponds on Jeffers' property. This problem has caused the flow out of the outlet to be reduced temporarily so that the upstream pond does not overflow. Dilks indicated he is getting many calls reporting damage to landscaped areas of lake shore property. He felt the City, the DNR, and the Watershed should be more careful, in the future, of the types of structures allowed to be built along the shore in areas where high water will cause problems. He indicated many of the structures are inadequate and unable to perform as intended. Members discussed and agreed that when constructed properly, retaining walls help to limit shoreline erosion. Dilks felt there should be more controls on the design and installation, so that when there's high water, expensive landscaping is not damaged. A short discussion followed on grants the Watershed District has applied for, to restore wetlands upstream. Dilks explained that previous studies which looked into using these wetlands to hold water until needed may no longer be feasible. He informed the Members that increasing the "bounce" of these wetlands degrades them, and that it would be difficult to get approvals to have a system in place, such as a valve, to withdraw water when needed. However, by utilizing the wetlands to naturally slow the process of runoff water reaching Spring and Prior Lakes, the "bounce" on ---r--..----.-----.--'--'-....-'-...,...-'---'---~--.~-- these lakes will be decreased. By decreasing the "bounce", the outlet channel may not have to remain open for extended periods of time, such as it is now. Dilks indicated the watershed has hired a eurasian milfoil coordinator. A short discussion followed on the milfoil project and how the DNR will be in charge of implementing the project, including the choice of chemical used for treatment. Moran presented information on the DNR proposal for testing SONAR on three lakes, and how Prior Lake did not fit into the type of lake the DNR was looking for in this first phase. However, when the second phase of testing is conducted, they will consider Prior Lake as a candidate. Dilks informed the Committee that the Watershed District will be asking for volunteers to be trained and used to conduct boat inspections for eurasian milfoil. Dilks indicated the training will probably be coordinated with the program being setup by the Department of Natural Resources. Dilks suggested the community set up a "non degradation of lake pact." This program, which was originally part of a National Fish and Wildlife partnership program, would have citizens set up a program with obtainable goals relating to the lake. The community would design strategies to fulfill these goals, and then everyone who wishes to participate would sign it. The LAC agreed this is a good idea and should be investigated further. It was also suggested that someone from the Watershed District speak at the Prior Lake Association meeting, to introduce this concept to its members. The meeting of the LAC was adjourned at 8:30 PM. Respectfully submitted, ,~t/-i~ /Joel A. R therford Recording Secretary The next Lake Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, 1993 at 6:30 p.m. 1f' q n."{) I ~~T~\i@'IT~ ~DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES 500 LAFAYETTE ROAD · ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA · 55155-40 DNR INFORMATION (612) 296-6157 C7e /': 2..//-. ".. ,,? I --L- / ;, _ ,/ L( / April 13, 1993 Aviation Enterprises Attn: David E. Moran 14408 Waters Edge Trail N.E. Prior Lake, MN 55372 Dear Mr. Moran: .- I have received your letter requesting that Prior Lake be considered as a candidate for our evaluation of the aquatic herbicide SONAR TM. The fluridone evaluation plan proposes two levels of evaluation. Candidate lakes for intensive evaluation must meet certain criteria necessary for the controlled experiment we have planned. These lakes will be relatively small (less than 200 acres), already have some pretreatment plant data, have low potential for reinfestation, have a diverse aquatic plant community with widespread milfoil, and be of similar ecological type. Prior Lake does not meet the criteria established for our intensive study lakes. A second tier of less intensive evaluations is also planned and could begin as early as 1995. Selection criteria for this second tier of evaluation have not yet been developed, so it is too soon in the evaluation process to say whether Prior Lake would be a reasonable candidate. We will be glad to include Prior Lake in the evaluation process when it is conducted next fall. However, at this time it is not possible to predict what our recommendations might be. Participation in the second tier evaluation will also require that aquatic plant survey data be collected prior to treatment. Thank you for showing your interest in our evaluation. If you have questions, feel free to call. Sincerely, ~rAb<<? Z;~ Steve Enger, Supervisor Aquatic Plant Management Program r-- Division of Fish and Wildlife Ecological Services Section (612) 296-0782 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER