We Care About Your Water Quality! Partnering with you to Protect and Preserve our water Resources!

Darren Mayers- District TechnicianThirty Lakes Watershed District322 Laurel Street, Suite 13Brainerd, MN 56401

We Care About Your Water Quality!

Partnering with you to Protect and Preserve our water

Resources!

Established May 18, 1971 by order of the Minnesota Water Resources Board

Goal is protection of the surface and subsurface water within boundaries.

Purpose to conserve natural resources through land use planning, flood control and other conservation projects to protect public health, safety and welfare.

34 lakes and 18 protected wetlands within the 70 square miles within Crow Wing County.

TLWD levies taxpayers of the district ~$6-$12 per $100,000 depending on tax classification.

Background

Thirty Lakes Watershed District Boundary Map

5 Managers◦ President: Gorden Hardy◦ Vice President: Mark Young◦ Secretary: Thomas Sweningson◦ Treasurer: Darrel Palmer◦ Manager: Wesley Ellis

Advisory Committee◦ Bob Albrecht; Rosemary Franzen, Rick Johnson

Staff◦ Administrator: Tasha Lauer◦ Contracted employee: Darren Mayers; SWCD District

Technician

Organization

Water Quality Monitoring◦ 15 to 20 lakes are tested each year on a

rotational basis to determine their Trophic Status. Lake Level Monitoring

◦ Lake gages are on 22 lakes and recorded every 1 or 2 weeks. 9 volunteers and staff read the gages.

Septic System Funding Program◦ A grant program for lower income residents and a

loan program for business to assist in upgrading, maintaining or installing septic systems.

Projects and Activities

Lake level and Water Quality on Horseshoe Lake

Vegetation Control Study◦ Study using muskrat platforms on Little Pelican

lake. Bass Lake water quality project

◦ Partnered with city of Nisswa to identify issues to improve water quality.

Cost Share Program◦ TLWD offers up to $5000 to assist with Best

Management Practices (BMP) to protect and restore the quality of water within TLWD.

Projects and Activitives, cont.

Pelican Lake Stormwater Project at Breezy Point◦ Three raingardens, a wet meadow and a constructed

berm were planted with native vegetation.

Accomplishments

Cost-Share Program◦ 2011: $30,775.62 in grant money for 14 shoreline

restorations and 1 raingarden Reduced sediment load of ~29 tons Reduced soil erosion by ~28.5 tons/year Reduced phosphorus load by ~25.5 lbs/year

Accomplishments; cont.

The Thirty Lakes Watershed District Values your opinion and is always looking for ways to improve our services to the residents of the watershed district.

Any suggestions, comments, and criticism of our current direction and possible new avenues of concern are welcome.

Thank you for your time and comments!

TLWD Survey

Thirty Lakes Watershed District322 Laurel Street, Suite 13Brainerd, MN 56401218-828-0243, [email protected]