Best Practice Action 19.7
GreenStep City Best Practices: Environmental Management
Surface Water No. 19
Improve local water bodies to sustain their long-term ecological function and community benefits.
Best Practice Action Detail
Best Practice Action 7
Create/assist a Lake Improvement District.
Minnesota Statutes allow local citizen initiatives to petition counties to create lake improvement districts in order to address specific concerns within a lake watershed that cannot be addressed under normal governmental actions. Citizens and local governments, including cities, willing to undertake such initiatives and tax themselves, benefit from greater local involvement in the management of their own lakes. DNR Division of Ecological and Water Resources provides oversight and assistance.
Establishment:
- Sustainable Lakes Planning Workbook: A Lake Management Model (Minnesota Waters: 2000) may be useful to a lake improvement effort.
- Reach out to lake associations to explore the potential benefits of establishing a LID for a lake in your community.
- Connect with other communities that currently administer LIDs to learn more about their experiences with this special purpose type of government and how to effectively administer them.
- Crow Wing County has developed extensive guidelines on establishing a successful LID.
- The cities of Excelsior and Greenwood entered into a Joint Cooperation Agreement (JCA) to administer a LID for St. Albans Bay on Lake Minnetonka. This LID was formed to manage aquatic invasive species (AIS) in the bay. The LID treats the bay to reduce the extent of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) and curlyleaf pondweed (CLP) and monitors it to detect the appearance of new invasive species. If new AIS are discovered, the LID would treat to limit them as well. Recently, St. Alban’s Bay participated in a zebra mussel control research project.
- Chisago County administers a lake improvement district that encompasses the entire Chisago Lakes Chain of Lakes watershed. There are 19 lakes in the watershed, collectively comprising over 7,000 acres of lake surface, and including the cities of Center City, Lindstrom, and large portions of Chisago City and Chisago Lakes Township. The LID was originally established in 1976 to mitigate high water levels. Over time, the LID’s mission has been expanded to address additional lake and surface water problems.
- The voluntary Loon-Friendly Lake Registry Program can help develop and implement a Loon-Friendly Lake Plan.
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Work with property owners proximate to a lake to either create a new Lake Improvement District (LID), to help an existing LID set priorities for desired lake management activities, or to find funding (city and other) to strengthen a LID. |
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Report on measurable improvements resulting from the expenditure of LID tax dollars on lake management activities throughout the lakeshed; work with other environmental special purpose governments (such as watershed districts) to facilitate partnerships between them and LIDs to increase the scope and efficacy of surface water and ecosystem programs. |
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Establish or expand existing LID membership to entire lakeshed to set priorities for desired lake management activities. |
Who's doing it
Arden Hills -
Date action report first entered:
Date of last report update:
Year action initially completed: 2011
Implementation details:
The City works with the Karth Lake Improvement District, which is comprised of property owners around Karth Lake. The LID's duties include managing the lake water level, monitoring water quality, and maintaining public beaches and docks. The LID meets at City Hall and the Public Works Director/City Engineer serves at the City staff liaison to the board.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Descriptive File:
Descriptive links:
For more information contact:
Mike Mrosla (City staff) | mmrosla@cityofardenhills.org | 6517927822
Partners:
New Brighton -
Date action report first entered:
Date of last report update:
Year action initially completed: 2017
Implementation details:
(see attachment for additional information) Long Lake is different invasive vegetation that is impacting the quality of the water and the health of the Lake itself. Members of the Long Lake Improvement Association (LLIA) have approached the City with this concern asking for assistance in finding a funding source to address this concern. The LLIA has been working with state and county agencies as well as the City of New Brighton attempting to find a source of long term funding to address this issue. The LLIA’s intent is to secure funding from a variety of sources starting in 2018 and beyond, so it is understood that the funding from New Brighton is meant to address the immediate need of this year and not to be expected by any party to be a continuing source of funding.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Pike Lake association has been active and successful at eliminating invasive species. We hope this success will be expanded to all water bodies in New Brighton.
Descriptive File: view file
Descriptive links:
For more information contact:
Craig Schlichting (City staff) | craig.schlichting@newbrightonmn.gov | 651-638-2056
Partners:
Shoreview -
Date action report first entered:
Date of last report update:
Year action initially completed:
Implementation details:
The Snail Lake Improvement District Board provides recommendations to the City Council on matters relating to the management of Snail Lake. In addition to the augmentation of Snail Lake, the Board may become involved in a number of lake-regulated issues including: the maintenance of public beaches, docks and other facilities; and the implementation of lake water conservation programs.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Descriptive File:
Descriptive links: http://www.shoreviewmn.gov/resources/snail-lake-improvement-district-board
For more information contact:
Ellen Brenna (City staff) | ebrenna@shoreviewmn.gov | 651-490-4665
Partners:
Greenstep Advisor
Daniel Petrik, Land Use Specialist, MN Dept. of Natural Resources: 651/259-5697, Daniel.Petrik@state.mn.us