Circle Lake residents want lake off Impaired Waters list

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Some of the residents of Circle Lake are taking matters into their own hands.
Every summer, algae blooms cover the lake with an unattractive green slime. Invasive plants like the curly leaf pondweed snarl boats’ lower units and propellers. Carp rule the world under the waves.
Dale Petelinsek has lived on Circle Lake, in Forrest Township south of CSAH 1 west of I-35, since 1994. He used to invite friends over in the summers to recreate, but now he avoids it in August.
“It’s just too green,” he said. “Two Septembers ago, we were out on the lake with friends and as we were looking at some of the homes our friends said ‘With all these beautiful houses here, why doesn’t somebody do something about the quality of the water in the lake?’”
Petelinsek and a core group of about a half-dozen neighbors started organizing. As interest was piqued they expanded into the lake association.
“At that point two things became clear,” Petelinsek said. “We had a lot of opportunity to clean up the lake and it was going to require some money.”
Between May and July last year, Petelinsek said fundraisers went door-to-door around the lake with the goal of raising $10,000. They ended up with $17,000.
They also had a goal: They didn’t want to just clean up the lake, they wanted to get it off the state’s Impaired Waters list.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency updates the list every two years, based on standards created by the federal Clean Water Act.
Bacteria, nutrients, turbidity and mercury are measured and a waterway is considered impaired if it fails to meet one or more of the standards. More than 1,700 waterways in the state are impaired, according to the MPCA’s draft 2010 list.
Circle Lake is considered one of the most impaired in the county, with higher levels of phosphorous — a main contributor to algae blooms — than French, Mazaska or Roberds lakes. It was placed on the MPCA’s list in 2006 because of high nutrient and mercury levels, according to the MPCA.
The association had its work cut out for it, so they decided to hire an expert for help. Steve McComas, is an aquatic scientist and owner of Blue Water Science of St. Paul. He has worked to clean up impaired waterways for decades. The association hired him to come with a plan of action.
McComas looked at all the information available on the lake, including turbidity measurements done over time by the residents themselves. Pulling it all together, McComas created a 30-page plan for fixing Circle Lake.
But it’s a daunting task. Only a handful of lakes in the state have been successful in getting off the impaired list. McComas came up with a plan that eventually allowed Alimagnet Lake in Burnsville to come off the list.
“We have a good chance at reducing the intensity of the [algae] blooms and increasing the native plant populations,” McComas said. “But we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Near the top of the list is raising more money for the effort — $1 million over 10 years to get equipment or hire experts. For example, the association could hire commercial fishermen to help lower the number of carp in the lake. It could also purchase herbicides and the equipment needed to help eradicate the curly leaf pondweed.
The association is already working with the county and the county Soil and Water Conservation District on efforts to reduce runoff from nearby farms, another contributor to phosphorous levels.
The association will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. Monday night in Forrest Township Hall that will be a first look at McComas’ plan. The group is already brainstorming fundraisers, including a silent auction at its annual summer picnic, a fun run around the lake, a lakewide garage sale or even a carp-fishing contest.
Bob Gilbertson has lived on Circle Lake for five years and said he could see what everyone else could — that they have a great lake but that it could be cleaner.
“There had been talk for years about water quality issues, but a lot of us decided that it was time to stop complaining and start acting,” he said.

— Reach Managing Editor Jaci Smith at 333-3134.