I sent this letter to the Park commissioners this morning:
(First, a little background info for you: the "north pipe" is the major storm
sewer outfall emptying directly into Lake Hiawatha on its north side. Also,
TMDL- total maximum daily load- is a measuring standard for pollutants. FYI:
trash is not classified as a pollutant in Minnesota and is not measured for.
1,195 acres of South Minneapolis drain directly into Lake Hiawatha via storm
sewer.)
the letter:
Dear Park Commissioners,
I am deeply concerned about proposed delays to the master planning process for
Lake Hiawatha.
For the following reasons:
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the City of Minneapolis are
mandated to reduce phosphorous levels at Lake Hiawatha in a timely manner, and
are subject to the consequences of failing to attempt to address or meet the
TMDL goals. The ānorth pipeā storm sewer system is a major source of
phosphorous for the Lake. This particular sub watershed also empties tons of
trash and myriad other pollutants directly into the Lake via the north pipe.
Delaying the process of implementing effective mitigation of the north pipe
would be negligent of the mandate to reduce phosphorous levels that has been in
place already for many years. Every year that passes without effective
mitigation adds exponentially to the trash and pollution accumulating in the
Lake, on its shores and in waterbodies downstream. I have personally removed
4,000 pounds of trash from Lake Hiawatha since 2015 and other volunteers have
removed several thousand more pounds. Despite these efforts the Lake is still
littered with large amounts of trash. The soil around the entirety of the Lake
contains decades of styrofoam and plastic which has broken down and become
inextricably enmeshed with the soil. The Lake bottom must similarly be
impacted. Unfortunately, In Minnesota there are no TMDLs for trash. Though no
one would dispute that it is an impairment to water quality, recreation, public
health and wildlife survival. Fortunately, there are TMDLs in place for
phosphorous. Water quality measurements at Lake Hiawatha recorded the highest
phosphorous measurements in the entire Minnehaha Creek Watershed and far exceed
safe limits. It is not responsible stewardship to further delay the
implementation of an effective mitigation system at Lake Hiawatha. The āopen
channelā option laid out in The MPRBās proposals will effectively address the
water quality issues stemming from the north pipe. I fear that attempts to
delay the master planning process will result in continued neglect of this
critical problem and untold ecological damage. Five more years of pollution is
unacceptable.
Three major sources of water feed Lake Hiawatha and each one is bringing
pollutants into the Lake. They are Minnehaha Creek, the north pipe and
groundwater pumping
The impact of groundwater pumping on ecology and water quality is not
understood because no accurate measurement has been taken to determine whether
or not it carries significant pollution into the Lake year round. The Barr
engineering test that has so often been referred to is not an accurate or
useful measurement of groundwater pumpingās impact on ecological health and
water quality for the following reasons:
1. The test was conducted by the engineering firm to determine the source of
the pumped water and was geared toward determining the impact on the deep
aquifer in the area. The test did not measure for the presence of herbicides
and pesticides which have historically been used extensively at the golf
course.
2. This test was conducted in February when runoff from the golf course is
negligible due to the fact that the ground is frozen.
Finally, we have long blamed the Creek, Lake Minnetonka and communities
upstream for the pollution at Lake Hiawatha, and ignored the sources that we as
a community are responsible for and have some control over. I urge you to not
delay the master planning process and to continue to move forward with the
implementation of an effective mitigation system for the north pipe for the
sake of the Lake, its diverse community of park users, wildlife residents and
communities downstream who use the very same water as a drinking water source.
Here are the links to the MPCAās TMDL reports for Lake Hiawatha:
https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/wq-iw11-16e.pdf
https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/minnehaha-creek-bacteria-and-lake-hiawatha-excess-nutrients-metro-tmdl-project
Thank you!
Sean Connaughty