Watershed board makes plans for the new year

Staff

Published Thursday, December 30, 2004

By Ann Austin, Tribune staff writer

The Shell Rock River Watershed District has been rolling along with its plans for cleaner, more effective waterways in the county. The next year will be one full of planning and preparing for what lies ahead.

At their meeting December 14, the SRRWD board developed three priority areas for the next five years. All projects depend on the board's ability to secure a funding source, such as the sales tax bill they will propose to the legislature this year.

The focus for 2005 will be getting the bill passed, though funding would not be received until 2006 for the projects.

"If that fails then we will have to re-examine our funding sources and re-set our priorities," said SRRWD Administrator Cathy Rofshus.

Some of the SRRWD goals over the next five years:

-Along with the City of Albert Lea, the SRRWD will develop a comprehensive stormwater study and plan for improvement through the addition of water retention ponds and other projects. They would hire an engineering firm to analyze the waterways.

"We need to look at sanitary sewers infiltrating storm sewers; discharge rates; contaminants in storm water and ways to filter them out; locations of storm water discharge points to surface waters; new federal standards and their effect on newly developed areas; retrofitting of storm sewers in older areas of town; etc." Rofshus said.

-Work with Freeborn County to replace the dam on Albert Lea Lake and Shell Rock River and increase the capacity of the Shell Rock River.

"At certain times - such as after a heavy rainfall - we need to increase the volume and rate of water flowing out of Albert Lea Lake. We need to do this to prevent the extreme bounce in the lake level, which erodes the shoreland and damages property. This may also help alleviate some of the flooding upstream.

But the Shell Rock River must be able to take the water - this may mean removing sediment. We need a hydrology study to establish the facts and develop a plan. This study may be part of the dam replacement plan," Rofshus said.

County Engineer Sue Miller has been working on requests for proposals for the dam, once she is finished the RFPs will be sent out to engineering firms for bids. This process will hopefully be completed by 2005.

-Implement water management plans for Pickerel Lake Subwatershed, White Lake (Lake Chapeau) Lakeshed and Fountain Lake Lakeshed. Some plans for Pickerel Lake are already underway, but there will be public meetings for White Lake and Fountain Lake residents.

Other areas of focus will be to develop a public education program with brochures about the watershed, a monthly newspaper column about watershed issues, a Web site with pictures and information and more TV and radio interviews.

The SRRWD is still working on a conservation technician program with the Farm Service Agency to help implement conservation programs using state and federal money. Interviews were conducted in November and the board hopes to hire someone early next year, but must wait for final approval of the position by the national FSA office.

To combine efforts, the SRRWD will also try to work with other agencies interested in conservation and improving waterways, such as the Lakes Restoration Committee, Audubon Society, Fountain Lake Sportsmen's Club, and etc.

(Contact Ann Austin at ann.austin@albertleatribune.com or 379-3435.)

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