Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Rss
info@plslwd.org
952-447-4166
  • Home
  • About 
    • District Overview
    • District Background
    • Meetings
      • Meetings
      • Board Materials, Meeting Minutes & Video Recordings
      • Citizen Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • District Plans & Reports
    • MS4 Application & SWPPP
    • District Press
    • Maps
    • Partners
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Waterbodies
    • Arctic Lake
    • Buck Lake
    • Cates Lake
    • Crystal Lake
    • Fish Lake
    • Haas Lake
    • Jeffers Pond
    • Pike Lake
    • Prior Lake, Lower
    • Prior Lake, Upper
    • Prior Lake Outlet Channel
      • Prior Lake Outlet Channel (PLOC)
      • Outlet Structure
      • FEMA Repairs
      • Prior Lake Outlet System Reports
    • Rice Lake
    • Spring Lake
    • Sutton Lake
    • Swamp Lake
  • Projects and Programs 
    • Projects
      • Alum Treatments
      • Carp Management
        • Carp Management
        • Carp Removal UPDATES
        • Carp Volunteer Opportunities
      • Ferric Chloride Treatment Facility
      • Fish Lake Shoreline & Prairie Restoration Project
      • CR 12/17 Wetland Restoration
      • Lower Prior Lake Protection Projects
        • Fish Point Park Retrofits
        • Sand Point Beach Park Project
        • Indian Ridge Water Quality Improvement
        • Watzl’s Beach Shoreline Restoration
      • Raymond Park Restoration Project
      • Spring Lake Shoreline Restoration
      • Sutton Lake Stormwater Storage Project
    • Monitoring
      • Stream Monitoring
      • Lake Monitoring
      • Precipitation
    • Rules and Permitting
    • 2020 Water Resources Management Plan
  • News & Events
  • Learn More
    • Home and Yard
    • Shoreline
    • Boating
    • Ponds & Wetlands
    • Agriculture
    • Fact Sheets
  • Get Involved!
    • 50th Anniversary of the District
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC)
    • Farmer-Led Council (FLC)
      • FARMER-LED COUNCIL EVENTS
      • FLC Cost-Share Opportunities
      • Cover Crop Initiative
      • Lake-Friendly Farm Program
    • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Volunteer Events
      • Monitoring Opportunities
      • Carp Volunteer Opportunities
    • Cost Share – Fund Your Project
    • Training & Workshops
  • Contact
    • Board Members
    • Staff
Search our website...

PLSLWD Board to Decide on Alum Treatment of Spring Lake

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - September 12, 2013 - Completed Projects, Spring Lake Alum Treatment

The Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District (PLSLWD) Board of Managers will make a final decision on the alum treatment of Spring Lake at their regular board meeting on October 8, 2013 at 6:00 pm at Prior Lake City Hall.

If the PLSLWD Board approves the treatment, an alum application will be applied to Spring Lake this fall. The treatment will cost approximately $450,000 and will be funded by the PLSLWD.

In 2011, the PLSLWD conducted a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study of Spring and Upper Prior Lakes. A TMDL study evaluates the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet state water quality standards. This study found that Spring Lake was impaired, or threatened, by excess phosphorus, and recommended that the phosphorus concentration should be reduced by about 85% in Spring Lake. The study also determined that approximately half of the phosphorus in Spring Lake comes from the surrounding land and streams that drain to the lake, and the other half is released internally from the bottom of Spring Lake.

In order to address the internal phosphorus concentrations, the PLSLWD is considering an alum treatment for Spring Lake. Aluminum Sulfate, or alum, is a nontoxic material that is commonly used in water treatment plants to clarify drinking water. In lakes, alum is used to lower the concentration of phosphorus in the water. The expected lifespan of the potential treatment of Spring Lake has been estimated at 15 to 30 years.

More than one approach is needed to reduce the phosphorus concentrations in Spring Lake. It will take a combination of land, stream, and in-lake practices to meet our water quality goals. By implementing best management practices, like installing raingardens, shoreline buffers, and working with the local community to reduce runoff from lawns and agricultural fields, we all can help lessen outside watershed sources of phosphorus caused by runoff.

News & Events

  • Ongoing Projects
    • Fish Point Park Retrofits
    • Highway 13 Ferric Chloride
    • Monitoring
    • CR 12/17 Wetland Restoration
    • Carp Management
      • Where are the carp?
    • Flood Study
    • Indian Ridge Park Water Quality Project
    • Spring Lake Shoreline Restoration
  • Completed Projects
    • Arctic Lake Subwatershed Analysis
    • Lower Prior Diagnostic Study
    • Spring Lake Alum Treatment
  • News
  • Flooding Updates
  • Prior Lake
  • Spring Lake

News Archives

Prior Lake – Spring Lake Watershed District

The District covers about 42 square miles in Scott County, MN. Water in the PLSLWD flows mainly from the southwest to the northeast through Spring, Upper Prior and Lower Prior Lakes, and then north through the Prior Lake Outlet Channel to the Minnesota River near Valley Fair amusement park.
Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment

Prior Lake - Spring Lake Watershed District
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372

Phone: (952) 447-4166
Email: info@plslwd.org

PLSLWD on FacebookPLSLWD on Twitter

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About Us
  • News & Events
  • FAQ
  • Waterbodies
  • Prior Lake Outlet Channel (PLOC)
  • Projects and Programs
  • Contact Us
(c) 2018 Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District, All Rights Reserved. Minneapolis web design by Iceberg.