Board Minutes From April 16, 2015

Call to order at 7:02 PM with the following members present:  Dale Bacon, Steve Laliberte, Ryan Hoops, Jim Grisim.  Tom Merritt absent.

Motion (Laliberte/Hoops) Move to approve agenda.  Motion carried.

Approval of the minutes  -

Motion: (Bacon/Hoops) Move to approve the February 19, 2015 minutes.  Motion carried.

Review Treasurer’s Report

Motion: (Bacon/Hoops) to approve report.  Carried.

State of the lake

No evidence of any fish kill.  Lake level has dropped 6 to 8 inches since April.
Lake clean-up day – May 2, meet at Super America at 11:00 AM.  Jim Grism will coordinate. 

VLAMO Update – they are removing bullheads from East Goose Lake.  Birch Lake chloride test indicates no change from last test.  There are funds available for rain gardens. 

Communication Activities
    Blog – updated blog is available at www.birchlakeimprovementdistricgt.org. 
    Newsletter – plan to publish next one prior to the annual meeting. 

Harvester painting project
  We have two bids.  One from Aspen and one from a painting company.  Painting company will sandblast for better bond.  Consensus is to go with the painting company.  We will ask Nick to coordinate the job.

Lake monitoring projects
Dissolved oxygen  - made it through the winter with no issues.

Chloride level  continue through the year.

Sediment survey – we will engage McComas.

Ongoing projects
Shoreline restoration – get people together to do maintenance.

Buckthorn removal
 

Harvesting plan for 2015 Wait for nature to tell us what to do.  We will plan to harvest so Jim will get the permit.

Future storage.  Check Summit mini storage

Annual meeting planning

Annual meeting is June 17, 2015

Possible DNR speaker on invasive species.  Possible White Bear Lake geological survey update.  Possible lake needs survey. 
 

Stakeholder outreach planning

We are building relationships with the White Bear Rotary.  We need to continue to reach out to Ramsey county.

Motion: Move to Adjourn (Merritt, Laliberte) – Motion Carried.  Adjourned at 8:34 PM.

Next Meeting:  June 4, 2015

Minutes prepared by Steve Laliberte.

Ice Out March 25 2015

By Steve Laliberte

It is official!  Birch Lake is open.  We had a string of warm weather 10 days ago.  That led most to feel the lake would open quickly.  Then it cooled off.  Yesterday the final packs were overtaken and by the end of the day all the ice was gone.

I have not walked the lake yet.

Any signs of fish kill?

2015 Ice Out

By Stephen Laliberte

It is Sunday night.  It was 70 today.  The ice on the lake is getting blue.  The aerator opening in getting big.  Ice out is near.

Last year the ice went out on -- I don't know?  Much later, I think it was April.

Hey BirchLakers, when do you think ice out will be?

Please leave a comment with your vote on the date?

Winter 2015 Chairman's Corner

By Dale Bacon

The 2014 VLAWMO Monitoring report is an interesting read.  Birch Lake continues to demonstrate excellent water quality, with nitrogen and phosphorous levels well below MPCA water quality limits. The lake level has been up for the past 3-4 years; the water is very clear; fish are thriving; no algae blooms and the rooted aquatic plant community is well behaved!  Life is good!!

Well almost!  The relatively high chloride level of 80 mg/l is cause for some concern.  Although the level is below current MPCA acute and chronic limits, the data are insufficient to predict future chloride levels. A more robust database is needed to validate current and future compliance.

Road salt is used in large quantities to de-ice roads during the winter season.  The MPCA estimates that the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area uses 365,000 tons of road salt each year.  A 2007 University of Minnesota report estimated that Ramsey County used 12+Tons of road salt per lane mile per winter season!  Higher volume, higher speed roads generally receive more road salt.  The City of White Bear Lake uses far less salt, limiting road salt treatment to intersections, curves and ice patches. 

Birch Lake is bounded on three sides by heavily used roads as well as a residential street. Runoff from these roads as well as side city streets and parking lots drains into Birch Lake. This results in a large amount of chloride ion accumulating in the lake.   Assuming a lake size of 110 acres with an average depth of 4 feet and the current chloride level of 80 mg/l, a back of the envelope calculation yields about 160,000 pounds of salt (expressed as
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NaCl) in the lake. The chloride ion is very soluble in water and increases in concentration over time.  If allowed to build up in a lake, it will reach a level that will have an adverse effect on the lake’s biota.

Road salt usage presents a dilemma in balancing the benefits of its use to its environmental consequences.  Total elimination is not practical.  Most of the current focus is on best management practices to reduce the amount of road salt use for deicing.  As an example, the City of White Bear Lake calibrates salt spreaders to better control its application.  Techniques such as pretreatment with a brine solution to prevent ice sticking to roadways have resulted in reductions in road salt use.  The MPCA is leading the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area Chloride Project.  One of its goals is to develop a chloride management that will include recommendations to reduce chloride input to metro area waters.   It is hoped that activities such as this will result in chloride level reduction in Birch Lake.

The BLID board is concerned about the elevated chloride level in Birch Lake and has taken steps to understand the long-term impact better.  Jim Grisim has taken the lead in following developments at the state and local level.  He reports on a recent conference in this newsletter. The board is also working with VLAWMO on this issue. The membership will be kept informed of these activities.   Feel free to contact Jim or me if you have any questions.

2015 Winter Birch Lake Dissolved Oxygen

By Brian Corcoran, Water Resources Manager, VLAWMO

Each year the Vadnais Lake Area WMO (VLAWMO) takes monthly dissolved oxygen readings on all monitored lakes within the watershed to monitor the health of the water bodies within VLAWMO.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) measures the amount of gaseous oxygen (O₂) dissolved in an aqueous solution. Oxygen gets into water by diffusion from the surrounding air, by aeration or rapid water movement, and as a waste product of photo-synthesis from aquatic vegetation.  Adequate DO is necessary for good water quality and aquatic life. 

The normal range to support aquatic life is between 4-10mg/l.  Sustained readings below 4mg/l will stress fish and can cause fish kills.  Game fish such as bass, walleye, and pan fish are less tolerant to low DO levels compared to rough fish such as carp and bullhead.  Water temperature and rotting organic matter (leaves, grass clipping, dead aquatic vegetation, runoff) also affect DO levels. Colder water can hold more DO than warm water, and bacteria consume a lot of DO to break down organic matter. 

Dissolved oxygen fluctuates throughout the year.  DO levels usually drop during the winter months as sunlight is limited and some aquatic vegetation is dying.  DO levels will rise in the spring as the ice melts and aquatic vegetation begins to grow.  As water temperatures warm during the dog days of summer, DO levels usually drop; as water cools in the fall, DO levels usually rebound until ice forms. 

The severity of a winter can really change DO levels.  Snow pack can reduces the amount of sunlight entering a water body limiting photo-synthesis; the earlier a lake freezes and snow pack builds, the lower the DO levels may get throughout the winter months.  For shallow lakes, hard, long deep freezes can also affect DO levels.  A thick ice pack will limit the amount of “swimmable” water in a shallow lake and may trap fish in certain areas of a water body.

So far no concerns, Birch Lake’s DO levels are good.

2015 Winter Storm Water Management

Dale Bacon discussion with Mark Burch, Director of Public Works

Storm water management is a high priority in Minnesota.  The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) requires that cites such as White Bear Lake implement a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP) to improve storm water quality.  The city has developed a very detailed plan to comply with this requirement.  The plan is available on the city web site.  Pollution prevention and good housekeeping activities are key elements of the plan that directly impact Birch Lake. 

As an example, streets near Birch Lake are vacuum swept 2-3 times in spring and fall.  This helps to prevent fine particulate matter, road salt, and other road debris from entering the lake.

Vacuum Sweeper

 Big Sucker

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A vacuum truck is routinely used to clean out treatment devices such as the storm water separator on Birch Lake Avenue.  The storm water separator removes particulates, free oil and other debris from storm water before it enters the lake.  You may have seen the “big sucker” in operation.

The city is concerned about the impact of road salt on the environment and has taken a number of steps to minimize salt use.  One of the programs involves calibrating salt spreaders on trucks to prevent waste.

These activities are a first line of defense in protecting and enhancing the quality of Birch Lake.  Dedicated city employees routinely carry them out in a very professional manner.  We are very appreciative of their service.

2014 Birch Lake Water Quality

VLAWMO has released the 2014 Water Quality Monitoring Program Report. It provides detailed monitoring data as well as an assessment of the water quality for 11 lakes, including Birch Lake, in the VLAWMO coverage area.  The data for Birch Lake are based on biweekly samples collected by Ron Auger and Jim Grisim.   

Birch Lake continues with a high water quality rating, receiving a B+ grade using the Metropolitan Council grading system.  The grade is based on secchi disk depth readings (water clarity), total phosphorous levels (nutrient level), and Chlorophyll A levels (algae level).  The B+ grade for Birch Lake is based on low total phosphorous and chlorophyll A levels as well as excellent water clarity.  Birch Lake’s shallow depth limits the maximum grade to B+!

                      VLAWMO Lake Grades

Lake	Grade	TSI Status
Amelia	B	Eutrophic
Birch	B+	Mesotrophic
Black	B+	Mesotrophic
Charlie	C	Eutrophic
Deep	C-	Eutrophic
Gem	B	Mesotrophic
Gilffilan	C+	Eutrophic
E. Goose	D-	Eutrophic - Hypereutrophic
W. Goose	D	Eutrophic
Tamarack	D	Eutrophic - Hypereutrophic
Wilkinson	C-	Eutrophic

The report indicates that Birch Lake has high chloride levels.  The chloride levels are the result of runoff from road salt on streets and parking lots for winter ice control.  While the chloride levels do not come close to exceeding regulatory standards, they will be closely monitored.  The impact of the use of road salt on urban lakes is an emerging environmental concern.

Click here to get a PDF of the full report.