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651 Hale Avenue No rth Oakdale, Minnesota 55128 telephone: 651.]]0.8448 facsimi l e: 651.]]0.2552 www.eorinc.com Date September 19, 2011 To GLWMO Board of Commissioners cc I Tom Petersen, GLWMO Administrator From I Camilla Correll, Andrea Pleven and Pat Conrad Regarding I GLWMO Watershed Management Plan — Response to Comments re: Implementation Activity to Test Impacts of Establishing No Boating Area or No- Wake Zone on Shallow Portions of Lake Owasso Background It is EOR's understanding that at the September 22, 2011 GLWMO Board Meeting the Board of Commissioners will be entertaining a motion to remove the Implementation Activity to evaluate the impact of establishing a no -wake zone on the shallow portions of Lake Owasso. Given the contribution of internal phosphorus load to the Lake Owasso system, the anecdotal evidence that motorboat activity is contributing to the resuspension of sediments in the shallow portions of the lake, and the research supporting the impact motor craft have on water quality in lake systems it is our technical recommendation that this Implementation Activity remain in the GLWMO 2011 Watershed Management Plan. However, it is recommended that the Implementation Item be re- worded as suggested by one of the individuals who submitted comments on this issue. It is recommended that the Implementation Activity be re- worded as follows: Implementation Activity 1.91 (page 114) — "To address internal loading (in Lake Owasso) work with member communities to test the impacts of extending a no boating area or no -wake zone to certain portions of the lake (e.g. shallow areas) for a defined period of time; the goal being to correctly prioritize phosphorus loading due to motorboat traffic This memorandum has been developed by FOR as a detailed response to the comments the GLWMO received on this particular Implementation Activity. While this level of documentation exceeds what is typically prepared for a formal Response -to- Comments document, this memorandum was developed in an effort to clarify the Board's intent in including the Implementation Activity in the DRAFT Plan and to provide the technical support for the inclusion of this Implementation Activity. Summary of Response to Comments on Implementation Activity to Evaluate Impact of Establishing a No -Wake Zone on Shallow Portions of Lake Owasso During the 60 -day review period (which ended on September 15, 2011), the Grass Lake Watershed Management Organization ( GLWMO) received 37 comments from the public on an Implementation Activity that proposes to evaluate the impacts of establishing a no boating area or no -wake zone on shallow portions of Lake Owasso. . In addition, an on -line petition generated 265 signatures and/or comments in support of removing this proposed implementation activity from the DRAFT GLWMO 2011 Watershed Management Plan. Of the 37 comments received, most are against the establishment of a no- wake zone and are requesting that this Implementation Activity be removed from the DRAFT Plan while 2 are in support of the investigation of the need for a no -wake zone and request that it remain in the DRAFT Plan. This memorandum has been drafted as a formal response to these comments to be An Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Emmons & Olivier Resources, Inc. water I ecology I community