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Karth Lake Improvement District . IntroductionlBackground Karth Lake is a land-locked water body under DNR jurisdiction and located within the Rice Creek Watershed District ID# 62-0072. The published normal water level as documented on Plat maps is 929.8 feet and the DNR's published OHW is 934.95 feet. Residents have brought up the issue of high water levels in the lake numerous times since 1984. The high water levels are threatening hundreds of mature trees; many currently have water two to three feet up the trunks. In addition, the high water levels are damaging surrounding residential lawns and landscaping. A table of water levels based on DNR published infonnation, plat maps and previous studies into this issue are as follows: Table 1 - Lake Elevations (Feet Above Sea level) Year SeasonIMonth Lake Level (Feet) 1974 N/A 929.8 1977 Julv 929.7 1984 June 936 1986 June 936 1994 October 933.75 1996 Surin!! 936.5 2002* SeDtember 938.3 2002 October 936.4 2003 AUlillSt 936.7 . The City has set-up temporary pumping systems in coordination with the DNR in the past to lower the level of Karth Lake. The lake was pumped down in 1984 and 1986 to a surface elevation of 934 feet. In October of 2002 a temporary lift station was installed and Karth Lake was pumped down 1.9 ft. to a level of 936.4 ft before pumping operations were halted. In conversations with the Rice Creek Watershed District it is preferred that the any potential pumping solution be directed towards the Valentine Lake system. This would involve connecting any temporary or pennanent system to the stonn system on Femwood A venue North, which drains into the Valentine Lake through a series of pipes, ditches and wetlands. Purpose Of Project The purpose of this project is to control the rising level of Karth Lake. Currently the lake elevation of 936.68 feet is 1.75 feet above the published OHW of 934.95. The rising lake level is threatening hundreds of mature trees on public and private land. Currently many trees have roots approximately 2 to 3 feet underwater. .