Water Quality
November 2011 Water Quality Article
By Mike Hankee & Kathy Jonsrud 2011 proved to be quite the year for water quality issues. Our main focus this year was to develop an action plan to combat Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM). As many of you know, our Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Petition was signed by at least 95 lake shore owners. There was a public hearing regarding this project on September 14th, and the project was approved by the Clearwater River Watershed District(CRWD) board. This action was a critical step in our ability to fund the battle against EWM in Cedar Lake.
Approximately 15 Milfoil Warriors were trained in the identification of EWM. The Warriors were also trained in the identification of native (good) aquatic weeds like Northern Water Milfoil, Coontail and Water Marigold. Ken Savik will be coordinating the Milfoil Warrior Program. If you want to be a Milfoil Warrior please contact Ken Savik at ken.savik@gmail.com. If you think you have EWM please contact Ken Savik or any of the Board of Directors and they will make sure that it is affirmed as EWM and tracked for treatment consideration.
Here is a recap of the status of our 2011 treatments for both Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) and Curly Leaf Pond Weed (CLP). 10 acres of EWM was treated this year with a success rating of excellent. A hand harvest of any surviving EWM was planned but was called off do to the success of the EWM treatment. 11 acres of CLP were treated this year and that treatment was graded as excellent. It should be noted that 38 acres of CLP were treated in 2010 and that treatment was given a moderate success rating. The 2011 results of these treatments were very favorable and hopefully we can continue to make headway against these two aquatic invasive species. Our 2012 treatment plan for both EWM and CLP is already in action. Orv Jonsrud worked with Professional Lake Management (PLM), our treatment vender, to map EWM in September. Because of all the work of the Milfoil Warriors and members to identify and report the EWM, PLM was able to focus on those areas and provide excellent mapping. The mapping did identify 6 additional small areas of EWM. Our permits for EWM and CLP will be filed with the DNR in January. Thanks to Orv Jonsrud for all the work to stay on top of the mapping, vendor relations, and DNR permits.
With all the focus on AIS this year, we just want you to know that we continue our diligence to monitor water quality. A special thank you goes out to Carter Diers for monitoring our water quality for the last six years by collecting samples of our water during the summer. These samples measure phosphorous levels, chlorophyll-a, and Secchi depth (clarity). Carter will no longer have to do this task as the Clearwater River Watershed District will be doing it for us for free. This is a savings of about $250/year for the CLCC.
The graphs below summarize our monitoring values, along with a trend line. The good news is that the trend line is not only healthy but stable. Our efforts to maintain a beautiful lake have been effective. However, we did see higher values for PO4 and chlorophyll-a in 2011. The heavy rains and record temps in early summer probably contributed to these higher values. But as you can see, year to year values are different. Particularly encouraging this year is that even with record rainfalls, our phosphorus value did not spike like it did in 2003 and 2006. Many believe our sediment basin—Segner Pond—from our PO6 CRWD project, was a key factor in slowing down the water and helping filter the phosphorus. On a final note the CLCC has become a member of the Wright County COLA. The COLA was re-formed this past summer and consists of lake associations within Wright County. Their mission is to:
work together with lake associations and public agencies to protect and improve water quality through state and local resources. better manage the water and land resources. Past president Dave Wagner has stepped up and volunteered to represent the CLCC in this organization. At the September meeting, Dave Wagner and Orv Jonsrud make a presentation to the group on our AIS strategy. Thanks to all who help make Cedar Lake a great place to live. Thanks to all of you who have volunteered on the Water quality Committee, for all your time and hard work. All the numbers and scientific data we are accumulating on our lake may lead us to think that water quality is as cut and dried as a number. The more we learn about phosphorus levels and Secchi depth (water clarity) the more we respect the complexity of the lake and the interplay of temperature, rainfall, and best management practices. The impact of the P06 project will take a decade or more (not just a few years) to fully realize. I think we can all agree that the summer of 2010 was a particularly wonderful year of water quality and clarity on Cedar Lake and a positive sign of our individual and collective efforts to be stewards of the lake.
Link to graphs
It did seem that we had a very good crop of native vegetation this year. The invasive CLP was significantly down, and our native Northern Milfoil and Coontail had a bumper crop year. Though this native vegetation is great for the lake, fish, and wildlife---jet skis and anything else with a motor, not so much. The DNR does have an Aquatic Plant Management Program that protects native vegetation while allowing lake shore owners to control some aquatic vegetation for water access. Please check with the DNR website before removing any of your natives to understand the regulations:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/shorelandmgmt/apg/regulations.html 
Curly Leaf Pondweed
Cedar Lake Conservation Club has entered our second year of treating the curly leaf pondweed that has invaded our lake. To read more click here.
Water Quality Monitoring
For the past six years we have participated in the Lake Monitoring Program, which is locally run by the Wright County Soil and Water Conservation District – this program assists groups, like the CLCC, that are active in lake stewardship. At the present time over 900 lakes, statewide, participate in this program. When an association such as the CLCC joins this program, volunteers (a big thanks to Carter Diers for leading the charge on this) from the association are trained to collect water samples and Secchi Disk readings (water clarity). The water samples are then forwarded to a lab for phosphorous and chlorophyll analysis. The results of the sample analysis and readings are then posted on line for viewing an assessment. The web site is: www.rmbel.info/Reports/ ReportsQuery.aspx (Search on Cedar Lake, Wright County, Lake # 860227)
Here is a table that summarizes some of the data for Cedar Lake:
2005-10
2010
Total Phosphorus Mean:
30.6
27.5
Total Phosphorus Min:
19
20
Total Phosphorus Max:
47
33
Number of Observations:
28
4
Chlorophyll-a Mean:
14.8
8.5
Chlorophyll-a Min:
0
5
Chlorophyll-a Max:
131
12
Number of Observations:
28
4
Secchi Depth Mean:
8.5
9
Secchi Depth Min:
3.5
3.5
Secchi Depth Max:
31
9
Number of Observations:
27
5