Comments:
From: Laura Baird - South Shore Drive
Thanks to the Spring Lake Association team and volunteers! Our family had a fabulous time at the recent Spring Lake social! You really outdid yourselves! The food was terrific and it was great not to have to cook at home J. Our kids LOVED the balloon twister, face painter, jumper, prizes and games! And of course all the yummy treats! It was so enjoyable to be able to let the children stroll around and not worry about loosing site of them. I was disappointed the jumper took precedence over the fire truck ride, but they did talk about how cool the truck ride was long after the balloons lost air! We still have growing in water the “amazing animal” prizes they won. And, most of all, thank you for reviving our much need lake association! We are a small lake but without an active association have grown apart and lost touch with who our neighbors are. It is important for Spring Lake families to be familiar with each and work together to keep our lake clean, safe, and fun! Kind regards. Laura Baird, Lisa Kallberg, Anthony, Brian, & Matthew
April Fool’s
They took responsibility when they didn’t have to, acted quickly to correct the problem and did a great job!
Ron Lemmer, Spring Lake residentRon, a Spring Lake Resident at 2540 South Shore, couldn’t believe it when his neighbor knocked on his door, Sunday evening, April 1st and said, look outside, do you see what has come to your shoreline? “Out of nowhere, there was a 150 ft. long BOG which must have broke loose and ended there.” (Ron’s lot is 100 ft. and this Bog sat across his lot and on the neighbor’s on each side.) The following morning, Ron looked out and the bog had moved over to the neighbors, but not for long because then the following day it was back! On Tuesday, Ron decided to go to the Prior Lake/Spring Lake Watershed Office and discuss this Bog with them. Shortly, thereafter, the Watershed District went to Ron’s home to view this Bog.
Then the questions: Where did it come from? What do we do with it? Who is going to pay for it? These were just a few of the questions that now needed to be answered. Obviously this is a difficult decision, because as Ron commented, “It’s a beautiful piece of nature!” However, when something beautiful becomes intrusive and even a hazard, we need to act and act quickly! This is exactly what the Prior Lake/Spring Lake Watershed District did.
Involving the Spring Lake Association, the City of Prior Lake and the Spring Lake Township, the DNR and others, the Watershed District began soliciting participation from all to determine how, who and what should be done. Then on Wednesday, April 4th, the Watershed held an emergency meeting to determine what course of action should be taken.
It was decided that it was in the best interest of the Lake to remove this Bog. Because of its current location, it needed to be done fast. “It couldn’t have landed in a better spot,” a Spring Lake resident commented. Because Ron has a long gravel driveway down to the lake, it allowed the trucks to get easy access to the Bog. We guessed, 30, 40 or 50 truckloads, but until we start breaking it a part, no one will know for sure.
Through a lot of hard work, dedication and resources, the Watershed District developed a plan to take action quickly. They contracted Renslow Trucking & Landscaping to remove the bog from the lake. Additionally, the City of Prior Lake volunteered manpower, equipment, and a compose area for the disposal of the Bog. All of the above and other local authorities, showed up promptly Thursday morning and began removing the Bog. By 10:00 AM, there had already been 20 truckloads of this Bog hauled away by the City of Prior Lake’s maintenance crew. By quitting time Thursday afternoon, over 60 truckloads. Returning on Friday morning to finish up, we anticipate at least another 10-15 truckloads, bringing the approximate total to about 75 truckloads.
Lisa Rizzo, President of the Spring Lake Association visited the site several times throughout the day to witness first hand the removal of this Bog. At one point, she was speaking with a city employee, who commented, “I’ve never seen anything like this. We actually had to add a 4th truck to our route just to keep things moving along.”
By Friday afternoon, the crew will be done and Ron said from there he would be more than happy to do some final clean up. Ron commented that he was appreciative of the Watershed’s quick reaction and willingness to take charge of this situation. (Though no one is 100% convinced this was the Watershed’s full responsibility.)
“Together we can make a difference” is the Spring Lake Association’s slogan. Obviously this past week’s events indicate how working together does make a difference.
The Spring Lake Association has written this detailed article to help explain this situation and to also express their appreciation to the Prior Lake/Spring Lake Watershed District, City of Prior Lake, all contractors and other volunteers who came together to protect the lake. “It truly was major undertaking in which everyone will benefit.”
Where do we go from here? It seems like this Bog was by far the largest piece left on the lake. During the next several months, we will all be brainstorming to see if there is any further work that needs to be done or if there is any preventative maintenance that can be done to reduce the risk of this happening again. One local resident suggested, “Maybe any remaining bogs can be removed and repotted and used for regrowth.”
In closing, the Spring Lake Association is making a $500 donation to the Watershed District to help offset some of the costs associated with this project. We, the Spring Lake Association, would also like to suggest that if anyone would like to make a private monetary donation to help offset some of the expenses incurred with this event, please do so by sending your check to the Prior Lake/Spring Lake Watershed District @ 15815 Franklin Trail, Suite 100, and Prior Lake, MN 55372. Additionally, if you would like to assist Ron with any clean up, feel free to contact him.
PS: This was not the only removal of debris from the lake this past week. Another removal, a “Scud” was blocking the outlet. This removal was also facilitated by the Watershed District.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Lisa Rizzo, President of the Spring Lake Association @ 612-282-1571.
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