Laker Pioneer
Restoring Long Lake was a main topic of discussion at the Orono City Council meeting on Monday night.
A lengthy presentation came from James Wisker, administrator for the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District.
Detailed plans are in place, but funding the project is the next step. Councilmember Alissa Benson affirmed strong support for the MCWD’s plan and mission, noting she was the lone council member seated the last time the district made a presentation.
Benson, who is not running for reelection, requested that Jacqueline Ricks become a designated liaison from the Council to the MCWD.
Wisker detailed a plan that would cost around $4.5 million to restore Long Lake, which required regional treatment (capture phosphorus early before it gets into streams and lakes); landscape projects (wetlands and ravine stabilization); treating upstream shallow lakes; and in-lake load management.
Wisker noted the positive working relationship MCWD has had with Orono and the surrounding communities. The MCWD covers 179 square miles, 29 communities, two counties, 129 lakes and eight major streams. Orono itself includes 40 miles of shoreline around Lake Minnetonka.
Wisker said the MCWD is in the process of writing its next 10-year plan and is hoping for “another 10 years of working together.”
Benson stressed the importance of the issue, asking Wisker what the MCWD needed from the council. However, he said did “not come to with a specific dollar number,” noting he fully understands the pressures all cities face when it comes to budgeting.