Pilot AIS Prevention Project June 27, 2011

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1 Pilot AIS Prevention Project June 27, 2011 A cooperative initiative of: Christmas Lake Homeowners Association City of Chanhassen City of Shorewood Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association Lake Minnewashta Regional Park Lotus Lake Clean Water Organization Lotus Lake Homeowner s Association Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Minnesota Waters Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District Version 5.0

2 Presentation objectives Understand the pilot project Scope and objectives The need for action Details of the pilot Costs and funding sources Gain City Council support for enhancements to the public landing June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 2

3 Pilot AIS prevention project objectives Prevent or delay future infestations of AIS in Christmas Lake, Lake Minnewashta and Lotus Lake, especially zebra mussels Avoid high impacts to recreation and cost experienced with Eurasian water milfoil and curly leaf pondweed Pilot a number of the approaches to help find a best practice solution for 2012 and beyond Help all invested groups understand the practicality of the AIS prevention approaches used Each organization has their own interests and objectives but we share a common goal of preventing future AIS infestations. June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 3

4 Overview of the pilot project Unattended access control at Christmas Lake Shared inspection station at Lake Minnewashta Unattended access control at Lotus Lake June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 4

5 Our collective issue Until we can guarantee that each boater follows the laws; education and inspection are the only ways to prevent the spread of AIS into uninfected waters Inspection at each lake access is costly 1,700 hours of available launch hours during summer months at $15/hour costs $25,500 at each launch Sufficient funding is not available to inspect at each lake access Residents, MCWD and DNR are willing to donate some of the cost City, County and State funds are extremely limited We must pool our resources June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 5

6 Key elements of Pilot AIS prevention project Centralized Inspection with coded access to the launch ramps Shared boat inspection location (at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park) Coded access for inspected boats DNR trained inspectors Unattended automated physical access controls Controlled access zone at launching ramp Keypad access for inspected boats Card key access for EMR, Law Enforcement, Sanitation & Maintenance workers, etc. Communication program for the community Early announcement of changes with countdown to operation ( No surprises! ) Simple overview of required actions Tied into Save our Summers campaign Pilot project - it will need tweaking as the summer goes on! June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 6

7 How will this work for boaters, EMR, Law Enforcement, Fire Department, etc.? Boaters using the launch ramp must be inspected each day for access to the pilot lakes Inspection will be completed at a central inspection location - Lake Minnewashta Regional Park - by DNR trained inspectors following DNR procedures Boaters passing inspection will post inspection sheet on the dashboard of tow vehicle for duration of lake visit as proof of inspection. Inspection sheet will indicate date, etc. Christmas Lake and Lotus Lake boaters passing inspection will receive a code to launch their inspected boats appropriately, while Lake Minnewashta boaters will proceed to launch within the park. EMR, Law Enforcement, Fire Department, Sanitation and Maintenance workers, etc. Access for these situations will be by special key card or access code (TBD). There are risks of abuse; allowing access for un-inspected boats, but this is a huge improvement! June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 7

8 How will this work for lake residents? This will work the same way for lakeshore homeowners as it would for day-use visitors that access the launch ramp to put their boats into the water. As part of this pilot project, we are exploring options that would cover most special situations unique to home lake boaters Special situations could include: boats taken off-site for maintenance, boats removed for maintenance at the landing, boats put in before the start up of the inspection process, etc. Boat Dealers and Boat Repair shops might be enabled as DNR Authorized Inspection Stations Key card access could be made available for home lake boats Lake stewards could be anointed for access overrides Calling the inspection station for today s home lake code June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 8

9 Proposed traffic and physical controls at Christmas Lake public access Arrows and signs to direct traffic flow Traffic control spikes STOP Stop sign, automated gate with keypad and card reader Controlled access zone June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 9

10 Funding & sources Christmas Lake access Access control - up to $20,000 (non-negotiated initial quote) Funding from MCWD, supplemented by the CLHA Site improvements for traffic control signage and electric access - $250 to $1,000 Funding from City of Shorewood Staffed Inspection Station at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park Labor - up to $10,500 from July 25 to September 6 Funding from MCWD, CLHA, LMPA, LLCWO, and DNR inspection grants Lotus Lake volunteers (DNR trained) providing double staff for high volume time slots Improvements (if needed) TBD Communications Program Labor & materials Funding from MCWD Lotus Lake access (if in scope) Access control - up to $16,000?? Funding from RPBCWD Site improvements?? Funding from City of Chanhassen June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 10

11 Our request Support for the pilot project Allow installation of the access control (gate) Provide electric access Provide traffic control (directional) signage June 27, 2011 Pilot AIS Prevention Project 11