Fish Lake in Maple Grove has plenty of attractive features, along with opportunities for fishing and recreation. Nancy Greenwood has lived on the lake for 36 years.
"When the kids were little it started off with a speed boat and skiing and all of that, and now we've graduated to a pontoon," Greenwood said.
But for all of the lake's positive features, there's one glaring fact that you likely won't find in any local real estate guide.
"You just have all this green algae on the top to the point that you would not go in the water," Greenwood said. "You don't want to go out on it in the boat. It looks terrible."
The green algae is the result of too much phosphorus in the lake.
"The phosphorus that is within the lake itself, it got here from years and years of watershed loading," said Brian Vlach, senior water resources manager for the Three Rivers Park District. "These nutrients ultimately come from the watershed, and they accumulate over time."
And as the years progressed, the water quality worsened.
"The algae need phosphorus to grow, just like your lawn or corn or anything else. It's a nutrient," said John Holz, a water quality specialist from HAB Aquatic Solutions.
Holz and his crew from HAB Aquatic Solutions have been tasked with stopping the phosphorus, and the subsequent algae growth. The process involves treating the lake with a chemical called alum by launching a barge onto the lake and spreading the alum on the most affected areas.
"[The barge] has drop hoses that come down, and the alum is injected below the water surface," Holz said. "It quickly mixes with the lake water and forms the floc here that you see, that kind of whitish-green substance that's just below the water surface."
The chemical then covers the bottom of the lake and keeps the phosphorus from coming out of the mud.
"I think about 50 percent of the entire surface area of the lake is being treated, which is about 120 acres or so," Vlach said.
Treating that much water requires 95,000 gallons of alum. The hope is that this will help lead to better water quality.
"Well we're just really excited to be able to be a part of this and to hopefully, by next spring, see an increase in the clarity of the water," Greenwood said.
The project costs $300,000, with much of the funding coming from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.
Additional partners include:
Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission
City of Maple Grove
Fish Lake Area Residents Association (FLARA)
Three Rivers Park District
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
A second treatment of Fish Lake will occur in 2019.
Delane Cleveland
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