On August 15 a group met at Prior Lake City Hall to discuss the Implementation Plan for the Spring/Upper Prior Total Maximum Daily Load Study.  City of Prior Lake, Spring Lake Township, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Board of Water and Soil Resources, Scott Watershed Management Organization, Shakopee Mdewakanton Souix Community, and other agencies were all represented at the meeting.

A draft of the Implementation Plan was distributed and reviewed, and the Watershed District heard comments from the various representatives at the meeting.  This input process will make the final plan coordinate more closely with existing planning efforts, such as the ten year Watershed District comprehensive plan and the capital improvement plans for both the City of Prior Lake and Spring Lake Township.

One more stakeholder meeting will be held to clarify how load reductions will be calculated for reporting to the MPCA.  Before the Implementation Plan is approved, a public hearing at a regularly scheduled Watershed District board meeting will be held.

The Watershed District and the Scott Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) have been working together to identify the best locations in the upper watershed (mostly agricultural lands that drain to Spring Lake) for increasing water storage after rainfall.  By holding back water on the landscape, extreme high and low elevations in Spring and Prior lakes should be reduced, resulting in improved water recreation and enjoyment potential.

By focusing on locations favorable for wetland restoration, the District and the SWCD hope to use the naturally existing features of the landscape to their advantage, reducing the overall effort and cost of the project.  Another benefit is that targeting wetlands for restoration or enhancement may allow the use of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Wetland Reserve Enhancement Program funding.

This fall farmers within the Watershed District may receive letters from the District and the SWCD about this opportunity.

The PLSLWD’s volume management efforts focus on identifying opportunities for increasing the water storage and improved runoff management practices in the watershed, and providing incentive payments and other options for achieving those increases. These efforts range from acquiring easements over wetlands to ensure their continued protection, promoting the installation of filter strips along ditches and streams, and restoring and enhancing drained wetlands. These efforts have the added benefits of protecting water quality and improving wildlife habitat, as well.

These efforts range from acquiring easements over wetlands to ensure their continued protection, promoting the installation of filter strips along ditches and streams, and restoring and enhancing drained wetlands. These efforts have the added benefits of protecting water quality and improving wildlife habitat, as well.