1996-10-24_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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' By Scott Nichols - Talk to mostanyone involved in the ' project you'll feel the excitement. - News reports call the.Grass Lake , 'project one ofthe most ambitious . and largest lake restorations ever - - • undertaken in Minnesota, and. officials say it could become a- nationalmodel for future restora; . tions. `When completed, it is expected ' to be the biggest single project yet • undertaken.through RIM funding. So big, in fact, that RIM funds were conditions, some areas maybe • covered by row crops such as corn. and soybeans, but you're more likely to encounter mudflats, and the.area - is often under water. due to flooding, -he said. Willmar, the city of 20,000 located along the northwest edge of the basin, also suffers from the extensive drainage and city growth. The city's _'' storm water outlets, whichdrain into the Grass Lake basin, do not func- tion adequately, resulting in con- ~ - tinual flooding and loss of potential only able to pay a part of the costs. -The rest of the funding comes from a - merits purchased through both - development. ~ ` - ' . consortium of public and private B WSR and Kandiyohi County funds. Engeiby calls the restoration project interests..... Kandiyohi County will use their _ a "win-win".situation for both city :." Loren£ngelby, Glass Lake project acreage as a mitigation bank'for residents and natural resources ~ - coordinatoffor the Kandiyohi ~ future public works projects. interests. The city will use two storm SWCD, is more than willing to . According to area legend, people water lift pumps with sedimentation - .« testify to the project s size. Usually, used to sail over Grass Lake en onds to um its storm water runoff p p p I have.half a dozen projects a year, , , route from Lake Lillian 1~3 miles into the lake basin and the state- ..and this one is the.same project I've ` - distant from Willmar. News accounts secured perpetual easements will . • been workin on for two ears and g Y ~ of the 1920s mention sailing races, allow for restoration of the lake - we're barely half done with it," he especially during the springtime, basin. After being filtered in the .- said."I wake up in the middle of the ; when the marshes and sloughs were ~ restored wetland the city storm - ~ - ~ ni t in a sweat talkin Grass ~ ~ g . clear of rushes. ~ water and agricultural runoff would Lake," Engeiby says with a laugh. ~ flow into the chain of lakes to the _ - -Grass Lake was f rst drained by south, which include Lakes Kandiyohi SWCD, designated agricultural ditches; and today by _ _ Wagonga, Eleanor and-Lillian, and project sponsor for the monumental CountyDitch 23a.-Additional Big Kandiyohi~Lake. ' undertaking of restoring the 1200- ~ acre shallow prairie wetland basin, is drainage of the watershed and~the growth of the city of Willmar has - - • According to Engeiby, the Soil and - currentl workin with 15 different Y g incr-eased runnoff, resulting in Water Conservation District and the landowners to retire their portion of frequent flooding ofarea residential, N~innesota~Board of Water and Soil the lakebed under perpetual ease- .and agricultural. proper- commercial Resources are currentl workin to y g , , said Engeiby. ties secure RIM Reserve conservation Scott Nichols is an intern in BWSR's , easements within the lakebed. Six. of Communications gffice. He .attends the Conditions in the Grass Lake basin ~ the landowners currently have land .University of Minnesota and received-his degree in loumalism last year. - vary seasonally. Under favorable ~ -- _ continued on p. 4 _, ~ _