Birch Lake Improvement District Newsletter

April 15, 2020

Hello fellow Birch Lake Improvement District Members,

This is Steve Laliberte, the BLID Board Chairman. I want to give you an update on the activities for this year and on harvesting.

Harvesting Update

During the harvesting operation last year we were informed that the harvester had a leak.  During the cutting, it began to list to one side and ride lower in the water.   Our contractor, Aspen Outdoor, inspected the floats and found that they were full of water.  They pumped them out and we were able to complete the cutting for the year.

When Aspen pulled the harvester, they inspected the floats and discovered that there were several soft spots where the steel had rotted away.  During the fall, the Board met several times and performed an analysis on the options for continuation of harvesting.  We looked at three options: repair the harvester; buy a new one; or contract with a full service vendor who would use their own equipment.

Repairing the harvester proved to be expensive and risky.  We had several potential vendors look at the harvester and estimates ranged from $20,000 to $40,000+ with no guarantees.

Purchasing a new harvester was even more expensive.  Similar models ranged from $200,000 to $300,000.

Outsourcing to a vendor who would provide a harvester, conveyor and dump truck, along with a week's worth of cutting.  After contacting several vendors, we obtained a bid from Lakes Aquatic Weed Removal.  Their bid was within the allocated budget and they guaranteed us the second week of July.  They also offered to buy the harvester for $2,000 to use it for parts.  They agreed to haul it away at no charge.

On November 17, 2019, the board unanimously approved a motion to contract with Lakes Aquatic.

Calendar of Events

Friday 04-24-20 – Open Boat Launch for residents 10:00 AM to 2:00

Saturday 04-25-20 – Open Boat Launch for residents 10:00 AM to 2:00

Friday 05-01-20 - Open Boat Launch for residents 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Saturday 05-02-20 – Lake Clean Up 10:00 AM meet at Speedway.  We will social distance and divide up sections of the lake perimeter.

Saturday 05-02-20 - Open Boat Launch for residents 10:00 AM to 2 PM.

Annual Meeting – Moved to Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 7:00 PM City Hall Expansion Room.

If you would like to be added to the BLID email or Nextdoor site please send an email to birchlakeboard@gmail.com.

Spring 2018

Chairman’s Corner

By Dale Bacon

Birch Lake Water Quality

   VLAWMO, the Vadnais Lake Area Water Management Organization, has released the 2017 Water Quality Report.  There are 12 lakes within the VLAWMO watershed that are monitored for key water quality parameters include clarity, chlorophyll A, and key nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen.  Jim Grisim, BLID board member and Board liaison to VLAWMO, volunteers to take biweekly samples on Birch Lake throughout the summer.  Commercial laboratories analyze the samples.

   VLAWMO staff analyzes the data to arrive at a Tropic State Index for each lake. The tropic state refers to the level of nutrients and plant growth in a lake.  Oligotrophic refers to lakes with low levels of nutrients and plant growth.  Eutrophic is the other end of the scale with excessive nutrients and plant levels.  Eutrophic lakes are generally not useable for recreational use. Mesotrophic is in the middle of the scale, reflecting a balance between plant growth and recreational use.  VLAWMO has chosen to simplify the index by using an A-F scale.  Birch Lake is classified as Mesotrophic with a grade of B+

   The board has requested that VLAWMO monitor the lake for chloride levels.  The chloride level in lakes can be toxic to aquatic organisms.  The chloride level is a result of runoff from road salt use.  Current chloride levels show that the levels in Birch Lake are higher than other lakes in the watershed but still below the state standard.

   Birch Lake continues to be one of the clearest and cleanest lakes in the VLAWMO watershed.  Projects such as the phosphorus removal filter (see related story below) and lakeshore restoration help to ensure that the lake’s status is maintained for future generations.

Phosphorus Reduction Filter

VLAWMO has received a $97,000 grant from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources to install a phosphorus removal filter to treat storm water runoff entering Birch Lake.  This project is a cooperative effort between VLAWMO, the City of White Bear Lake, and BLID.  BLID has agreed to provide in-kind maintenance support.

The filter technology was developed at the University of Minnesota.  The concept is fairly simple:  the storm water runoff flows through the sand filter, which has been augmented with iron filings.   As storm water runoff travels through the filter, soluble phosphorus in the runoff adsorbs to iron oxide present on the iron filings surface.  A similar filter in Maplewood has achieved 90% removal of soluble phosphorus. 

The filter will be located in the wetland area at the NE corner of 4^th Street and Otter Lake Road.   Drainage from this wetland flows into Birch Lake.  Monitoring studies done on behalf of the BLID have shown that this is the largest source of phosphorus loading to the lake.  The filter is estimated to remove about 8 lbs. of soluble phosphorus per year; this will help to stabilize the phosphorus levels in the lake.

The project is scheduled to begin this summer and should be completed by the end of the year.

Birch Lake Water Levels

2017 was a much drier year than 2016.  According to the Minnesota State Climatology web site, total rainfall for 2017 was 30.80 inches.  The total for 2016 was 42.71 inches.  The mean rainfall for the period of record is 29.42 inches. 

The water level in Birch Lake tracks rainfall amounts:  2016 lake levels hovered around the 920.00 feet msl (mean sea level) mark.  Water flowed into Rotary Park for most of the year.  2017 started out with lake levels near 920.0 msl and gradually fell to the 919.5 msl. There was intermittent flow into Rotary Park during the second half of the year. Exact level data for parts of 2017 are unavailable due to gaps in the DNR database. 

The historical lake level chart for Birch Lake shows that the level was fairly stable during the years 2014-2016.  Limited data shows a drop off in 2017.   The old timers have seen the lake go through cycles such as this.  The worst of times have seen the lake 3 feet lower than it is today (see 2010 on the graph, as an example).

Photo Corner

Photos of scenes to come, yes!!

 

Mysterious” birdhouse appeared at south end of Rotary Park walk

Send your favorite photo for the next newsletter to tom.w.merritt@gmail.com.

If you have questions or want to get regular updates from BLID please send your email address to: birchlakeboard@gmail.com

Currents

The BLID installed an aerator in 2002 after a severe winter fish kill.  The purpose of the aerator is to oxygenate the water during the winter to ensure that the fish don’t suffocate from lack of oxygen in the water. 

I always thought that shallow lakes would freeze out when the ice got so thick that there was not enough water left.  That was what killed the fish.  In researching the aerator, I leaned that the real cause is lack of sunlight.  A high snowfall winter is actually more dangerous than a cold low snow winter.  Here is why.  Birch Lake is weedy.  Weeds grow all year long including the winter.  If the weeds have enough sunlight, they grow and produce oxygen.  If the snow and ice get too thick, the sunlight is blocked.  Instead of growing and creating oxygen, the weeds die, rot, and consume oxygen.

So, how effective can an aerator be if Birch Lake is 100 acres and the aerator keeps less than ¼ acre open and oxygenated?  I discussed this with fishing pro and naturalist Larry Dahlberg, the host of Hunt for Big Fish on the Outdoor Channel.   

http://outdoorchannel.com/the-hunt-for-big-fish    

Larry explained that the aerator would only save the fish within a certain radius of the aerator.  It would ensure that some fish survive and be a spawning stock for the fish population to recover - unless there was a current in the lake.  A current would move the water and carry the oxygen across a larger portion of the lake.

I always wondered if there were still currents in the lake.  Most of the natural water flow was cut off when the construction of Highway 96 separated Birch Lake from the water inflow on the south side.  The construction of North Birch Lake Blvd. cut off the out flow on the north side.

This winter I was able to observe something interesting.  The mild winter and low snowfall has made it easier to see where currents are be operating.   The first thing I noticed is that there is a line of melting snow that stretches from the culvert on North Birch Lake Blvd. to the aerator.

Here is an areal view from over the aerator.  You can actually see the flow lines.

Looking north from the aerator you can see the flow to the culvert on North Birch Lake Blvd.

The flow goes directly to North Birch Lake Blvd.  Sure enough, the water was flowing out of the culvert to the Rotary wetlands.

I also noticed that much of the shoreline adjacent to the Rotary Park wetland was full of water.  The culvert opening is small in comparison to the volume of water attempting to get out.  I began to wonder if the water is flowing out by seeping through the fill of the road. 

On my way over to the culvert I noticed something odd.  There is an in-flow of water from a sping at the Cloisters.  There is a current line from the cloisters to the aerator!

 The following picture is taken from the Cloisters facing south toward the aerator.

 

The last question that came to mind was why would the flow run through the aerator?  The aerator may act as a breather for water movement.  Have you ever poured gas into your lawnmower without opening the breather on the gas can?  The gas does not flow.  When you open the breather it clears the vaacum and lets the gas flow.  I think the opening in the lake caused by the aerator is like a breather.  The ice is putting pressure on the lake.  The water wants to flow out but can’t.  The aerator releases the vacuum and allows the water to flow.

What do you think?

Fall 2015 Lake Level Report

The 3+ inches of rain in mid-September topped off another of banner year of high water levels in Birch Lake.  The level reading of 920.22 ft msl*  (taken on September 22, 2015) was about the fourth highest for late September in the last 25 years!  The lowest level recorded in 2015 was 919.30 ft msl on May 1, and the highest was 920.44 ft msl on July 21. The lowest recorded September level was in 2009 when the lake level dropped to 916.93!

What does all of this mean?  From a practical perspective, it’s going to be a little harder (especially for those of us that are height challenged!) to take out the dock!  The lake is almost a foot deeper than when the dock was put in this spring!

The higher water level points to less of the chance for a freeze out and the potential of winter fish kill.  More importantly, the lake level drops a couple of inches over the winter, resulting in high levels at ice out.  Generally speaking, high levels at ice out, coupled with a normal rainfall, result in high levels during the summer months.  Obviously there are other complex factors and interactions (well above my understanding) that can influence this:  evaporation, transpiration, wind speed, direction, temperature, hours of sunlight and others.

Bottom line, the high levels going into the winter bode well for next year!

Fall 2015 Photo Corner

This is a new feature.  Birch Lake is beautiful!  We all see it.  How many times do you take out your phone or camera and snap a picture.

Now you can share them.

The Photo Corner is a new section that will share your moment with our Birch Lake community.

Here are some submission over the summer.

Sunset from Ryan Hoops

From Dale Bacon 

Steve Laliberte - Daddy Loon

Send your photos to slaliberte@sorttosspack.com

Fall 2015 A Rejuvenated Harvester

Look for something new on the waters of Birch Lake next year!  As a part of the multiyear rehabilitation project, the harvester was painted a light blue, replacing the faded green.  The paint job was completed by Capitol Town Painting.  The entire harvester was pressure washed and sand blasted prior to the application of a two-part marine epoxy paint.  During the sand blasting process about 4 layers of paint were removed before reaching the original paint!  

The last part of the project will be the evaluation of the harvester hydraulic hoses, and, if needed, their replacement.  This should happen during the next couple of months.

The harvester was purchased from the City of Forest Lake in about 2006.  The exact age of the harvester is unknown, but estimates put it at about 40 years!   It is hoped that with the completion of the project it will be good for another 40!

Before

After

Fall 2015 Chairman's Corner

By Dale Bacon

The ninth annual meeting of the Birch Lake Improvement district was held on June 17, 2015, at White Bear Lake City Hall.  A near-record 24 district members were in attendance. 

Chairman Bacon reviewed the highlights of 2014 – 2015.  In addition to a review of operational items such as weed harvesting and aerator operation, special emphasis was placed on the following topics.

•   Board members participated in a wide range of conferences, such as the Road Salt Symposium and the Shallow Lakes Conference.  This is all a part of an effort to stay abreast of emerging regulatory and scientific issues. 
•   BLID is supporting VLAWMO to conduct water sampling and analysis to establish a chloride base level for Birch Lake.  This will enable BLID to monitor the lake for potential road salt impacts.
•  The BLID blog site has been updated.  Members were encouraged to visit it at Birchlakeimprovementdistrict.org.  The blog serves as the repository of BLID related information and is upgraded on a regular basis.

The fish survey was completed on September 6, 2014.  It demonstrated that the only fish species impacted by the 2013-2014 winter kill was the largemouth bass.

The lake was stocked with 2,000 largemouth bass on October 16, 2014.  We should see results in 2016!

Special items in the 2015 -2016 plan include updating the BLID’s 2008 Sustainable Lake Management Plan, conducting a lake sediment survey, conducting a member survey, and painting the harvester.

The membership approved the 2016 budget of $13,000.  This will be presented for approval by the White Bear Lake City Council on October 27, 2015.

Tom Merritt was re-elected to a 3-year term on the board.  Tom serves as BLID treasurer.

Following the business meeting, Chip Welling, coordinator of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Invasive Plant Control program, gave a presentation on DNR programs to control aquatic invasive species.

Spring 2015 Photo Corner

View From the Bench
By Tom Merritt

Bessie Birch Lake's Mystery Creature
By Dale Bacon

Spring 2015 Resources on Water Quality

Birch Lake’s historical water quality readings are shown on pages 17 – 23 of VLAWMO’s 2014 report.  This report also includes information on the all the lakes in the Vadnais Lake watershed district.

http://www.vlawmo.org/files/6014/2358/0258/2014_Monitoring_report.pdf

Here is the link to the MN DNR site that lists historical information on the water readings on Birch.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=62002400

Spring 2015 Water Sampling on Birch Lake

Every summer water samples and visual readings are taken by residents on Birch Lake. Twice monthly from May through September, samples and readings are taken and handed over to our watershed staff, VLAWMO, for processing and evaluation. The reason for the sampling is to monitor several lakes and ponds within our watershed that were identified as having local significance.

Although VLAWMO began the Citizens Lake Monitoring Program (CLMP) in 1997, samples have been taken on Birch and sent into the DNR and the MN Pollution Control Association since the early 1930’s.

The testing involves taking multiple water samples from varying depths, measuring visual clarity with a Seechi disk, noting recent weather patterns that may have affected the readings, and listing the water depth off the DNR calibrated depth meter. Birch Lake volunteers take the samples and document this information and then give it to VLAWMO staff for processing.

The data received from the monitoring of Birch Lake and 11 other lakes within the VLAWMO’s district are used by the Minnesota DNR and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to determine the health of the state's waters.

Water samplers come in all ages and levels of experience

Spring 2015 Lake Levels

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As we all know, 2014 was a banner year for the water level in Birch Lake.  The lake level started out at 919.01 ft msl (feet above mean sea level) and peaked at 920.82 ft msl!  The water level was high enough so that water flowed into Rotary Park for most of the summer and fall.

While the lake level in January 2015 was 919.73 ft msl, less snow cover and a dry spring have resulted in an early June level of about 920.06 ft msl.  This level is about 9 inches lower than experienced in early June 2014 but is still high enough so that water is currently flowing into Rotary Park.

Historically, the water level in Birch Lake peaks in the June –July time frame and recedes about a foot by the end of the year.  While the lake level now is lower than last year, the June 2015 level is still about 2 feet higher that 2009!

Spring 2015 Clean Up Day

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May 2 was a busy day for BLID volunteers. In addition to the annual lake clean up, members participated in the White Bear Lake Arbor Day.

Volunteers first worked with City Public Works staff to plant a number of trees along Highway 96.  The whole process was pretty easy.  The City staff had dug the holes.  All we had to remember was green end up! 

The lake clean up followed the tree planting activity.  About 10 volunteers were involved.  The area along the walking path was picked up in less than an hour!

The tree planting was a three way coalition between the City of White Bear Lake, the BLID and the White Bear Rotary.  Trees were planted along Highway 96 and in Rotary Park.

Thanks to all those who volunteered as well as to Super America and the City for providing refreshments! 

Ryan Hoops, Dale Bacon, Steve Laliberte, White Bear Rotary Volunteer, City of White Bear Lake  Employee, Cindy Hoops

Spring 2015 Chairman’s Corner

By Dale Bacon

Hard to believe that it’s annual meeting time again!  It seems like only yesterday that we were discussing our response to the 2014 fish kill!  Since then, significant progress has been made in meeting the goals of the Sustainable Lake Management Plan.   This progress, as well as plans for 2015 – 2016, will be reviewed at the annual meeting. 

A key element of the annual meeting is the approval of the 2016 budget.  Membership approval is required before the budget is presented to the White Bear Lake City Council. 

Chip Welling, an invasive plant species expert from the Minnesota DNR, has been invited to present a “big picture view” of the invasive species problem in Minnesota and to cover potential impacts on Birch Lake.  I’ve heard Chip present on this issue and have been impressed with his depth of knowledge and his ability to reduce it to something we all can understand!  This should be a very interesting presentation for all!

I would like to encourage all members to attend the 2015 annual meeting.  The BLID was formed to develop and implement projects that protect and enhance the environmental quality of Birch Lake.  This is your chance to learn more these activities and to provide your input.  Your views and concerns are valued!   Birch Lake is your lake, and it is critical that BLID planning reflects membership values.

See you on June 17!  

7:00 PM      White Bear Lake City Hall