News from the Grand Lake Improvement District ~ May 2020
Scott Palmer, Chair
Hello Grand Lake!
I suspect many of you anticipated that our annual spring meeting of the Grand Lake Area Association would be cancelled due to the coronavirus. You were correct. While we will miss the annual gathering of friends and neighbors, as well as the donuts and coffee, everyone’s health is a priority as Stearns County is still in the heart of this pandemic.
We will plan to have our Lake Improvement District Annual Meeting at 9:00 am on Saturday, August 29th, and while we prefer to meet with you in-person, we are making preparations to hold the meeting through Zoom if needed. This will be announced through the Grand Lake Area Association web page and will be published in the Cold Spring Record.
This year, I want to share some good news about Grand Lake. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has been monitoring the water clarity of Grand Lake since 1977. While there are many measures of water quality, one of the metrics they look at is the transparency trend, which shows water clarity over time. In 1977, the median water clarity of Grand Lake was 5 feet. In 2019, the median water clarity of Grand Lake was 11 feet. The fact that the water clarity in Grand Lake has more than doubled is wonderful news for those who enjoy swimming, fishing, boating, and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Here is a link to the data:
Water Clarity Data for Grand Lake, Rockville, MN
Lake Transparency Trend
Trend analysis result: For years 1977 to 2019 there is evidence of improving water clarity at this lake, of approximately 0.5 feet per decade. For the most recent year of the analysis, median water clarity was the same as the watershed median.
Scott Palmer, Chair
Hello Grand Lake!
I suspect many of you anticipated that our annual spring meeting of the Grand Lake Area Association would be cancelled due to the coronavirus. You were correct. While we will miss the annual gathering of friends and neighbors, as well as the donuts and coffee, everyone’s health is a priority as Stearns County is still in the heart of this pandemic.
We will plan to have our Lake Improvement District Annual Meeting at 9:00 am on Saturday, August 29th, and while we prefer to meet with you in-person, we are making preparations to hold the meeting through Zoom if needed. This will be announced through the Grand Lake Area Association web page and will be published in the Cold Spring Record.
This year, I want to share some good news about Grand Lake. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has been monitoring the water clarity of Grand Lake since 1977. While there are many measures of water quality, one of the metrics they look at is the transparency trend, which shows water clarity over time. In 1977, the median water clarity of Grand Lake was 5 feet. In 2019, the median water clarity of Grand Lake was 11 feet. The fact that the water clarity in Grand Lake has more than doubled is wonderful news for those who enjoy swimming, fishing, boating, and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Here is a link to the data:
Water Clarity Data for Grand Lake, Rockville, MN
Lake Transparency Trend
Trend analysis result: For years 1977 to 2019 there is evidence of improving water clarity at this lake, of approximately 0.5 feet per decade. For the most recent year of the analysis, median water clarity was the same as the watershed median.
Do we need to continue our efforts to improve Grand Lake? Absolutely. Open the link above and find the Water Quality Assessment tab on the link. There is more we can do to lower the levels of Chlorophyll-a and Total Phosphorus. Chlorophyll-a is a measure of the amount of algae growing in our lake, and too much Total Phosphorus damages our lake by feeding the growth of algae.
What can you do to keep the trend going in a positive direction? There are a number of initiatives and best management practices that help us improve water quality:
Thanks all. Stay healthy and have an enjoyable summer on this beautiful lake.
Scott Palmer
Chair, Grand Lake Improvement District
What can you do to keep the trend going in a positive direction? There are a number of initiatives and best management practices that help us improve water quality:
- shoreline buffer zones
- rain gardens
- zero phosphorus fertilizer as outline in Minnesota statutes
- Reduction of curly-leaf pondweed, an invasive aquatic species that dies off in early July and dumps nutrients in our lake as it decays
Thanks all. Stay healthy and have an enjoyable summer on this beautiful lake.
Scott Palmer
Chair, Grand Lake Improvement District
Meet John, The Grand Lake Public Access Boat Inspector. He will be working all summer at our access to check boats, trailers and vehicles for invasive species. John lives on Grand Lake and is very dedicated to his job. This photo shows John sitting in the kiosk the LID has created to provide for our lake inspectors. Please help John and all lake residents by remembering to CLEAN, DRAIN and DRY all watercraft that use Grand Lake. |
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