07-22-1991 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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2. 3. program can document whether water quality problems, including blooms of potentially toxic algae, are developing in Lake Minnetonka. The water quality monitoring of Lake Minnetonka and its tributaries should be overseen by a Water Quality advisory committee comprised of water quality experts and representatives of the cooperating agencies. The advisory committee should be chaired by a member of the LMCD’s Environment Committee, and report through that committee to the LMCD Board. Once the assessment has been completed and evaluated, the advisory committee should proceed to develop a water quality monitoring and management program, which includes recommending water quality standards for the lake as a whole, and special improvement standards for areas of the lake that do not meet overall water quality standards. As a preliminary goal, a mean summer total phosphorus concentration of 50 ug/1 should be considered. The advisory committee should recommend water quality standards for runoff, monitor runoff quality, and serve as a forum for discussion of issues related to lake and runoff water quality. In order l- naintain the overall water quality in Lake Minnesota the levels of phosphoims in the outllows of several small lakes should be reduced. Lead Agency: MCWD Cooperating Agencies: LMCD, MPCA, HCPRD, Council. Board of Water i .id Soil Resources (BOWSR) Several small lakes appear to have relatively high phosphorus loadings. Internal phosphorus loads derived from the sediments of Langdon Lake, French Lake, Tanagcr Lake, and Peavey Lake are significant sources of phosphorus reaching Lake Minnetonka. The MCWD, working in close cooperation with the LMCD’s proposed Water Quality Advisory Committee should examine available data, determine the need for additional monitoring and develop a program to address these problems. Muiage the growth of Eurasian water milfoil in Lake Minnetonka to allow reasonable recreational use of the lake until such time as a means can be found to eradicate this exotiq while prercntlttg Its spread from Lake Minnetonka to other area lakes. Lead Agency: LMCD Cooperating Agencies: DNR, MPCA, SHRPD, Hennepin County (HC), University of Minnesota/Gray ’s Freshwater Biological Institute (FWBI), Freshwater Foundation Eurasian water milfoil has significantly infected Lake Minnetonka, taking over large sections of the lake where water depth is 15 feet or less. In a water body as complex and large as Lake Minnetonka, the cost of full control of the plant once it became fully established is beyond the financial resources of the LMCD, its member cities, and the allocated resources of other agencies at the present time. The challenge to the LMCD b to manage the growth in such a way as to allow continued recreational use of the lake. Management tools are limited at this time to periodic harvesting 7/11 Draft - 9