How was lake water quality in 2020?

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - December 26, 2020 - News, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

In a bright spot of 2020, both Spring and Prior Lakes saw improved water quality this year which was a boon to everyone who swarmed to the lake this summer for swimming, fishing and boating. This year marked the first time that all three water quality standards – the goal for a healthy lake – were met on either Spring Lake or Upper Prior Lake.

In the graphs shown below you can see how the levels for each of three water quality parameters have generally improved over time for each lake. The dashed lines show the water quality standards – the goal to meet for good water quality.

Water clarity (Secchi disk depth), total phosphorus concentration and chlorophyll-a concentration are the main standards used by View Full Article →

View Full Article Prior Lake, Spring Lake, Upper Prior, Upper Prior Lake, Water quality, alum, alum treatment, phosphorus, spring

Stabilize your Shoreline Workshop: Listen Online Now

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - June 10, 2020 - News

Did you miss the Stabilize Your Shoreline Workshop? No worries – you can listen to the workshop online here.

Learn how to protect your shoreline from erosion and how keep your lake clean! Workshop is taught by Scott Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff. The workshop will cover different planting techniques and give you all the resources you need to begin your restoration process!

Cost-share funding may be available through the Watershed District and the SWCD to help fund your project. Call the Scott SWCD for technical assistance to plan your project or for questions about cost-share funding at 952-492-5425.

View Full Article Cates Lake, Fish Lake, Prior Lake, Spring Lake, cost-share, erosion, habitat, lakeshore, native plants, native shoreline, shoreline, shoreline restoration, shoreline stabilization, webinar, workshop

Curlyleaf Pondweed Treatment this week: Prior and Spring Lakes

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - May 13, 2020 - News, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

Treatment for curlyleaf pondweed (a non-native, invasive aquatic plant) on Prior Lake was completed yesterday (May 12) and Spring Lake’s treatment is scheduled for Friday (May 15). It is recommended that you wait three days after treatment to use lake water to irrigate lawns or gardens.

The District completed aquatic plant surveys this spring identified several areas with high concentrations of curlyleaf pondweed for treatment. Treatment areas are numbered and marked on the maps below in orange for Prior Lake and purple for Spring Lake.

Why treat? As is common with non-native, invasive species, curlyleaf pondweed is one of the first things growing in the spring. Unfortunately this gives it a head start and allows the curlyleaf to crowd out the native aquatic plants that are good for the lake. Treating the curlyleaf gives a native plants a chance to grow.

View Full Article AIS, CLP, Curly-leaf pondweed, Curlyleaf pondweed, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

Spring Lake Alum Treatment Starts May 4

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - May 1, 2020 - News, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

The third and final dose of the alum treatment on Spring Lake is set to begin Monday, May 4. The treatment should take 10-14 days to complete, depending on weather conditions as the contractor cannot apply the alum if it is too windy. The project will be staged at the Spring Lake boat launch. The launch will remain open for public use.

Updates on the treatment will be posted on the alum website as well as the District’s Facebook page.

Treatment on Upper Prior is currently scheduled to begin on May 26 and should take 8-11 days to complete. This is the first time Upper Prior Lake has been treated with alum! The treatment schedule is still dependent on some grant approvals so the start date is subject to change. The treatment is largely funded by a grant from the Minnesota Board of Soil & Water Resources (BWSR). The project will likely be staged at the Dewitt boat launch which will remain open to the public. However, we are looking into a couple other potential locations for staging.

Why are we doing alum treatments? In short, Spring and Upper Prior Lakes have too much phosphorus which causes algae to grow.

Aluminum sulfate (alum) binds with the phosphorus, inactivating it and making it unavailable for algae to use. Less algae is not only visually more appealing and better for recreation, it allows more sunlight to reach the lake bottom which is beneficial for aquatic plants and fish. Find out more here.

What else is there to know? Boating, swimming, fishing, and eating the fish you catch during the treatment is fine. The water is safe for dogs to drink and play in as well.

Please avoid getting in the way of the barge. The barge follows computerized tracks and is programmed to apply specific doses of alum to the different locations in the lake. If you are on the lake and see the barge headed your way, please help us out and move out of the barge’s way. The water will appear temporarily cloudy after the alum is applied (see photo above), this is normal and the water will clear up as the alum settles to the bottom.

Alum treatments are just one of many ways the District is working to improve the water quality in our lakes. Find more information on our website here.

You can find more information on our website here and the alum treatment website here. If you have further questions, please contact Jaime Rockney at jrockney@plslwd.org or 952-440-0068.

View Full Article Spring Lake, Upper Prior, Upper Prior Lake, alum, alum treatment

District makes great strides in carp management

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - July 18, 2019 - News, Carp Management, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

The District has come a long way over the last few years in managing carp in District lakes. Prior to 2015, there have been sporadic commercial seines over the years, particularly on Spring Lake in the past, but efforts were sporadic and not done in concert with other control efforts. Thus they did not effectively control the carp population over the long term.

Beginning in 2015, the District starting addressing the carp problem holistically, and put together an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan in 2017. In addition to using carp seines to remove carp, the IPM plan called for obtaining baseline population estimates for District lakes, beginning with Spring and Prior Lakes; radio-tagging carp to track their movements throughout the lakes and connected waterbodies and identify when & where the carp were congregating to improve the success of carp removals; and installing carp barriers to prevent the carp from reaching their preferred spawning areas.

This year the District is embarking upon the second phase of its carp management program. Phase II will build on Phase I management efforts and the knowledge gained during the first phase. Phase II will also expand our carp management efforts to other lakes and connected waterbodies including Buck Lake, Fish Lake, Pike Lake and the Geis wetland.

For more information on the District’s Carp Management program and IPM plan, visit the Carp Management page.

Wondering what a carp seine is and how it works? Check out this cool video on our YouTube channel.

View Full Article Prior Lake, Spring Lake, carp, common carp