Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 03/19/2019 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019 CITY CENTER 5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS 6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Ron Case, Council Members Brad Aho, Kathy Nelson, Mark Freiberg, and PG Narayanan CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief Greg Weber, Interim Fire Chief Kevin Schmieg, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Administrative Services/HR Director Alecia Rose, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Katie O'Connor GUESTS: Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District Administrator Clair Bleser, Project and Permit Manager Terry Jeffery; Board Manager Dick Ward, Jill Crafton, Larry Koch, and David Ziegler Workshop - Heritage Rooms I and H(5:30) I. JOINT MEETING WITH RILEY PURGATORY BLUFF CREEK WATERSHED DISTRICT Getschow introduced the annual joint meeting with the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District(RPBCWD). Claire Bleser, District Administrator,presented an overview of RPBCWD. Bleser stated in 2018 there were 15 active projects, 40 monitoring sites, eight cost share grants awarded, 36 partner organizations, 76 permits issued, and $410,000 in grants received. The ten year management plan was approved by the Board of Water and Soil Resources. The 76 permits issued prevented sediment pollution, reduced food for algae, and helped slow down and soak in water it falls. Bleser provided a breakdown of the aquatic invasive species (AIS) in the RPBCWD: common carp, goldfish, Eurasian watermilfoil, brittle naiad, curly-leaf pondweed, Chinese mystery snail, and zebra mussel. RPBCWD has many partners that help with the work of AIS monitoring and treatments, including the City. Bleser stated herbicide treatments for invasive aquatic plants have been done at Red Rock, Staring, Riley, and Mitchell. Many volunteers place monitoring plates on their lake, specifically for zebra mussels. They are working with the Lake Riley Improvement Association to recruit more volunteers to help determine how fast zebra mussels are populating in the lake. Council Member Aho inquired how many lakes in the district have zebra mussels. Bleser stated outside of RPBCWD they can be found in Bryant, Christmas, and Minnetonka. City Council Workshop Minutes March 19, 2019 Page 2 Council Member Narayanan inquired how easy it is to remove. Bleser stated pesticide treatments can be done at Christmas Lake,but it did not remove them. Their primary focus is to prevent it,but if there is an infestation it can be monitored to see what treatments may work. Aho stated the one positive effect is zebra mussels make the lake clearer by filtering the water. Bleser noted the filtering changes the dynamics of the lake and could impact fisheries. Board Manager Crafton added it strips the food for fish. Council Member Freiberg inquired what the biggest problem is with zebra mussels. Bleser stated the entire fish species food chain gets affected since food is being taken away. Beaches and shorelines will also be impacted with sharp mussels. Bleser stated carp management continues to be done with nets and electric wands. In Lake Riley they use an aeration unit to keep the water warm for the mature bluegill fish population to eat the carp eggs. In Staring Lake a net has been used to control the carp movement up the creek. Narayanan inquired how carp spread to other lakes. Bleser stated carp travel via the creek and move up stream as the water warms. Board Manager Ziegler stated carp go up stream so their eggs have a better chance of surviving. Aho stated, in the past,residents would hunt carp on Bryant Lake. Weber stated this is not a permittable area to discharge a weapon. Permits are available to discharge a weapon,but it must be south of Pioneer Trail. Bleser added the DNR also requires permits. Bleser stated in 2018 fish stocking of bluegill and winterkills were done on Duck Lake and Rice Marsh Lake. Aho inquired why there wouldn't be an aeration unit on all lakes. Bleser stated it depends on the need. It's expensive to install,requires the use of electricity, and doesn't necessarily aerate the entire lake. Narayanan inquired how Eden Prairie compares to other cities. Bleser stated overall RPBCWD is ahead of other watershed districts in carp management. At the American Fisheries Society meeting this last year representatives from other countries were reviewing the RPBCWD carp management program for implementation in their city. The netting method is not as effective when used multiple years in a row since carp tend to remember the net location. Bleser stated RPBCWD has worked with the City for many years on an AIS inspection program. There have been discussions to increase the hours for the program as a shared responsibility. To assist the program, the City received a grant for a CD3 unit at Lake Riley, and there will be restriping around the unit to make it more visible at the boat launch. Notifications were sent out to lakeshore owners about aquatic invasive species. They are recruiting adopt-a-dock volunteers to monitor the spread of AIS. A training will be conducted on AIS identification. Bleser outlined the water quality of the lakes. Riley, Round, and Duck Lake met all Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) standards. Council Member Nelson inquired how excess algae can be cleaned. Bleser stated algae is not to be eliminated. In City Council Workshop Minutes March 19, 2019 Page 3 order to meet all standards, a balance is required of algae and phosphorus. Aho stated, in the past, the water at Round Lake was treated to make it swimmable. Bleser added the latest treatment was the alum application on Round Lake. Nelson noted the increase in algae in Red Rock Lake and inquired what would cause the increase. Bleser replied many factors impact an increase such as the weather and drainage from shorelines. Nelson inquired if mailers are sent out annually to lakeshore homeowners including information about grass fertilizers and herbicides. Bleser stated a mailer is done,but this could be considered as an addition. Bleser stated creek health determines if there are zero or more impairments. RPBCWD has specific water monitoring sites along the creeks. RPBCWD has a cost share program that funded nine community projects to protect and improve water resources in 2018. Programming had 85 volunteers with 660 hours volunteered, eight programs and events, 120 tour attendees, and seven activities. The watershed district's youth outreach program does a lot of work with the Staring Outdoor Center. The watershed district also provided continuing education to 270 participants in 2018. Bleser stated wetland management program included wetland inventories in 2018. Storm water pond research was conducted in partnership with cities. Some of the projects conducted include Fire Station 2, Duck Lake subwatershed, Rice Marsh Lake alum, and Lower Riley Creek. Work has been done on Rice Marsh Lake to apply alum to prevent additional phosphorus to be released from the base of the lake. Aho inquired how alum impacts the carp management. Bleser stated there are still carp,but this does treatment does not increase carp. Aho inquired how long the treatment lasts. Bleser stated about 20 to 30 years on average. It depends on how much phosphorus is on the lake bottom. Bleser stated Lower Riley Creek Restoration, in partnership with Lower Minnesota River Watershed District, will be underway in the near future. The Fire Station 2 project was completed in 2018 for the reuse of water for both cleaning trucks and irrigation of native landscaping. The Duck Lake partnership project engaged residents to help eliminate water pollutants and ultimately protect and restore Duck Lake. Narayanan inquired what the RPBCWD partnership is with the DNR. Bleser stated RPBCWD receives their funds through tax levies. They have a permitted partnership with the DNR. Narayanan inquired what residents can do to help. Bleser stated some examples such as directing downspouts onto grass instead of driveways, adding plants with longer roots, reuse of water, supporting pollinator initiatives, creating a buffer to wetlands, and restoring shorelines. Narayanan inquired how residents are being educated. Bleser stated they partner with the City on events such as Arbor Day and the Expo. They work with lake and neighborhood associations and they distribute educational materials to youth. There are six staff members, and the community outreach coordinator is working on the Duck Lake Community Partnership Project as a trial to see how to engage residents. Volunteers and master water stewards also assist with education outreach to residents. Mayor Case inquired how the watershed district handles concerns from developers about requirements for projects. Bleser stated a few years ago Project and Permit Manager Jeffery was hired to help mitigate these issues. Jeffery stated every spring a developer workshop is held. They encourage developers to meet with their staff and City staff City Council Workshop Minutes March 19, 2019 Page 4 concurrently. They have the same timelines for processing permits. Aho inquired about the relationship between the City and RPBCWD. Public Works Director Ellis stated at times there is some disagreement in regards to projects with the Watershed District Engineer. Overall the relationship is positive and has improved in recent years. Crafton inquired what the City's action plans are for Minnesota GreenStep Cities. Case replied the Conservation Commission has been tasked with looking at long term goals. Nelson added all the electricity the City purchases will be solar by the end of the year. Ellis added the City is buying a Ford F-250 hybrid plug-in. Open Podium - Council Chamber (6:30) II. OPEN PODIUM A. BILL SATTERNESS —AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES Bill Satterness, 8597 Red Oak Drive, is a founding member of Friends of Red Rock Lake. Their mission is to raise awareness and take actions to improve the health and vitality of Red Rock Lake. It is good the City and Watershed District are talking about increasing the amount of money spent on lake inspections. With an uptick in boats using Red Rock Lake, additional inspections will be beneficial. Preventing the spread of zebra mussels to other lakes is important. III. ADJOURNMENT