Carver County is currently hiring Seasonal AIS Watercraft Inspectors for the 2026 boating season, and we’re spreading the word within our lake community.
Inspectors play a critical role in protecting our lakes by educating boaters, conducting inspections, collecting survey data, and (at higher levels) performing decontaminations. These positions are a great opportunity for students, teachers, retirees, or anyone who enjoys being outdoors and supporting lake stewardship.
Positions run approximately May–September and pay $17–$22/hour depending on level and certification. They are especially looking for dependable individuals who are available on weekends and holidays throughout the season.
if you or anyone you know is interested in applying for a position, please click the link below
Strong inspection coverage is one of the most effective prevention tools we have, and having inspectors who care about our lake makes a real difference.
Thank you for helping us protect Carver County waters.
While there won’t be a community Fourth of July party in the park this year because we don’t have a volunteer(s) to lead it. Sarah Wells and Mary Pickering decided to still organize the Fourth of July t shirts so that we can make a community donation to the KABOOM fireworks. With the country’s 250th year anniversary, this is an extra special year for our nation. You can wear your Lake Minnewashta t shirts to the ski show and family gatherings.
Please submit you and or your kids designs for 2026 Fourth of July t-shirt!! DESIGN SUBMISSIONS DUE FEB 15th!!!!!
This winter will be the third since a new Minnesota state law prohibited leaving waste behind on frozen lakes, or even letting it touch the ice. The law can be enforced with a $100 fine, and officials say it’s working.
“From 2022 to 2024, the resorts, the businesses, the ice road businesses, said there’s a drastic difference in what they’re seeing. They know the program’s working. They’re all on board and joining,” said Zach Gutknecht, a project manager for the Northwest Watershed Division of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
Groups are working on a local scale at more than 50 lakes across the state, taking different approaches most appropriate for their regions.
“It’s grassroots efforts working on a statewide level,” Gutknecht said.
The MPCA has supported the efforts, which included outreach and education, with grant money from the Clean Water Fund. Grants are available through BWSR and many SWCDs, made possible by a 2025 legislative appropriation specifically for Keep It Clean efforts.
Mike Hirst, a resource conservationist with the Lake of the Woods Soil and Water Conservation District, said during the 2024-2025 ice fishing season, conservation officers issued 311 tickets, with 81 citations and 230 warnings statewide.
A major upgrade to Highway 5 between Victoria and Chanhassen will get underway next year, disrupting traffic flow along the stretch for the better part of two years.
A contractor will be selected on Dec. 16 and will lead the expansion of Highway 5 to four lanes from just east of Highway 41 into downtown Victoria, a three-and-a-half-mile section of the highway. It will be a divided roadway with curb and gutter installed. Currently that stretch is a two-lane, rural roadway with shoulders and ditches.
According to Eric Johnson, Transportation Division leader with consultant Bolton & Menk, Inc., the daily traffic count along that stretch exceeds 20,000 vehicles.
“Generally, the tipping point for a two-lane is something like 15,000 to 18,000 cars a day, and then it’s over capacity,” Johnson reported. “We have backups every day during peak hours.”
Today, during the evening rush hour, it takes motorists an average of 24 minutes to travel from Interstate 494 to Victoria, according to Johnson.
“When we’re done with Highway 5, that trip will take 18 minutes,” Johnson said. “So, we’re going to have a 25% reduction in travel time on that trip, because there will no longer be a bottleneck from Highway 41 going west.”
He admitted that a new bottleneck will develop in downtown Victoria, but that issue will be corrected with planned projects in the future.
“We’re actively pursuing funding for this downtown segment to finish the vision,” Johnson said.
Among the extra features along Highway 5 are a roundabout at Commercial Avenue in Victoria; a new 78th Street pedestrian bridge; a new signal at Minnewashta Parkway; an upgrade for the Highway 41 intersection; and a pier-supported roadway through the Lake Minnewashta area wetlands.
To ensure the stability of Highway 5 through the Lake Minnewashta area, Johnson said the plan is to install hundreds of piers into the soil below. The original plan was to construct an 1,800-foot bridge through that area, but that idea proved too expensive.
Additional upgrades on adjacent roadways and trails are also part of the overall 2026-27 project — part of the master Arboretum Area Transportation Plan which seeks to address capacity issues in the growing southwest Twin Cities metro area.
Among those upgrades are a new intersection at Rolling Acres Road; Rolling Acres Road and Tamarack Trail roundabout; Rolling Acres Road improvements; and a new Rolling Acres Road and Interlaken roundabout.
Because Rolling Acres Road is the shortest access between Highway 5 and Highway 7, Johnson said the county road is heavily traveled.
“Over 85% of the people on that road are speeding,” he noted. “And the crash rate on that road is three times the state average for what we would expect. There’s a lack of turn lanes, there’s a lack of shoulders, there’s a lack of sight distance. When we are done, we’re trying to lower the speeds by design.”
Additionally, new pedestrian underpasses at Madelyn Creek Trail and Tamarack Trail will provide easier access to the trail system in the area.
“We’re adding a lot of missing trail links,” Johnson said. “We’re completing the network of trails — the Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail, the Highway 5 Regional Trail, and all the trails in Chaska. I think it’s a big leap forward in connecting the non-motorized users in this area.”
In addition, the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is constructing a new entrance off of Highway 5 toward downtown Victoria.
Total cost of the Highway 5 project is expected to be about $122 million, according to Johnson. About $100 million is being paid for through various federal and state funding sources.
“We’ve secured eight federal and four state grants,” he said. “That’s quite amazing. We’ve minimized the actual cost to the local partners greatly.”
KEEPING TRAFFIC FLOWING
As construction kicks off next spring, Highway 5 will remain open to traffic at all times but will be limited to one lane in each direction at the Highway 41 intersection.
“That will cause some issues,” Johnson said, “but it will remain open.”
For all of 2026, crews will focus on getting the adjacent north/south portions of the overall project completed. Signed detours will guide motorists along the north/south routes.
All of the roadways will open back up for the 2026-27 winter season. Then, in the spring of 2027, Highway 5 will close to traffic as the expansion begins in earnest.
“Highway 5 — from the Arboretum entrance all the way to downtown Victoria — will be closed all summer in 2027,” he noted. Officials hope to have the roadwork in Victoria completed by the Fourth of July holiday. The remainder of Highway 5 is scheduled to be completed by Labor Day in 2027.
“There will be some cleanup work that spills into 2028, but two years from now, traffic should be fully functional on the new system,” Johnson said.
Carver County is planning to hold a public open house sometime in March 2026 to discuss the construction plans and expected detour routes with area residents. Follow the project website for more information.
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
Carver County approved a transportation sales tax in 2017 to help fund needed projects as the population totals rose throughout the southwest metro area.
In 2019, Bolton & Menk, Inc. was competitively selected to work with the county on the Arboretum Area Transportation Plan, with a focus on Highway 5. The eventual plan was completed in 2021, identifying 20 major transportation projects along the corridor that should be completed over a 20-year period.
“We identified the system needs for the county to be able to serve all the growing demands in Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria and beyond,” Johnson said.
Once the study was finished, Bolton & Menk helped the county and local partners identify competitive funding sources and deliver about $175 million in revenue to accomplish the planned projects.
“I think Carver County has been a leader in some of the locally led projects,” Johnson said. “Everyone’s doing a part.”
The Chanhassen City Council has decided to move forward with a request to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to raise Lake Minnewashta’s Slow-No Wake (SNW) elevation — the water level at which strict boating restrictions apply — from 945.0’ to 945.5’.
The motion passed by a 5-0 vote at the council’s Nov. 10 meeting. After DNR approval, which requires a 120-day review period, the council will be able to adopt the modification to city code at a future meeting, before next summer’s boating season.
City Council’s action follows a Citizen Action Request received this year requesting to raise Lake Minnewashta’s SNW elevation to 945.9’, which is the lake’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 100-year floodplain elevation. The FEMA 100-year floodplain of a lake maps the areas of that lake with a 1% annual chance of flooding, i.e. the floodplain expected to occur once in 100 years.
FEMA 100-year floodplains are not standard determinants of lakes’ SNW elevations, which are determined, according to a Chanhassen city staff report, “through analysis of site-specific conditions for each lake or water body, including shoreline characteristics, adjacent land use, vegetation, water level history, and the relationship to nearby infrastructure.”
Lake Minnewashta public boat launchSign at Lake Minnewashta public boat launch
Public input is another key factor to setting SNW elevations and is a legal requirement for modifying SNW restrictions in city code.
“Before a SNW restriction can be adopted or modified, DNR rules require that a public hearing be held to gather feedback from affected property owners, recreational users and other stakeholders,” says the report.
A public hearing was held during the City Council meeting, at which the council intended to discuss and evaluate an SNW elevation for Lake Minnewashta of 945.3’. More than 30 members of the public attended the hearing and 17 spoke.
The council had determined at a previous work session to dismiss the requested 945.9’ SNW elevation, citing city staff’s findings that street flooding would occur at this water level.
Mayor Elise Ryan, opening the public hearing, spoke on the council’s decision.
“The reason why,” Ryan said, “is if it got to the FEMA high-water mark, we’re not talking about boat wakes. We’re talking about flooding.”
Advocates of raising Lake Minnewashta’s SNW elevation argued that the lake’s current restrictions are too rigid.
“Summer is precious,” said Gary Bhojwani, who lives on Lake Minnewashta. “When we lose even one day, it’s a big deal. At the Slow-No Wake level we currently have, in the last two years, we lost 34 days.”
SNW restrictions have also been triggered by high water levels on the Fourth of July during the past two years, restricting lake use during peak season and impacting the annual waterski show.
According to an analysis completed by Chanhassen city staff on historical water level data, assuming the lake’s current SNW elevation of 945.0’, 10% to 12% of Lake Minnewashta’s boating season over the past 20 years would have fallen under SNW restrictions. The analysis determined that an SNW elevation of 945.3’, on the other hand, would only have triggered restrictions once in the last 20 years — during historic flooding in 2014 that surpassed the lake’s FEMA 100-year floodplain.
Those opposed to raising the SNW elevation raised environmental and property concerns.
“Minnewashta is a challenged lake — it’s impaired for aquatic life and it’s only a C+ lake,” said Kevin Zahler, a board member of the Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association, alluding to the lake’s “C+” DNR classification. “My hope is that my grandson, and his grandchildren, and their grandchildren will be able to enjoy the use of this lake. That’s at least a hundred years out. We’re not going in the right direction.”
Other residents spoke on impacts to lakeshore properties, especially vulnerable properties sitting on lots at lower elevations or with more gradual inclines.
“As much as I believe that everybody has rights and wants to play and do all this stuff,” said Helen Gunther, another resident on the lake, “it’s great, provided that the recreation that other people want to do doesn’t destroy or ruin the property that I have.”
Gunther raised concerns about SNW restriction enforcement — concerns voiced by many others at the hearing.
“What needs to go along with that No Wake restriction is some enforcement,” she said. “I cannot tell you how many times this past summer, during the days that there was No Wake, I saw boats and fishermen and surfers flying by.”
City staff later clarified that the Carver County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for SNW enforcement on Chanhassen’s area lakes.
“The city has no ability to do more enforcement,” said Charles Howley, director of Public Works. “If it’s a persistent problem, we should lobby the county to make more resources available to address the problem — easier said than done of course.”
Mayor Ryan requested that city staff find out from the Carver County Sheriff’s Office how often they were on Lake Minnewashta last summer, and how often they were on the lake during SNW restrictions.
During the following council discussion, Council Member Jerry McDonald proposed to consider a higher SNW elevation of 945.5’.
“The 945.3’ that we looked at seemed as though it would be a good number,” McDonald said. “But then, what I looked at is at 945.3’, we’ve hit that a number of times in the past couple of years, and that would have shut the lake down — and I don’t think that’s a good idea. What I would like to do is to propose 945.5’, because that gets us to a level where I don’t think you’re going to be impacted by the rise and fall of the lake.”
McDonald’s statement contradicts city staff’s findings that an SNW elevation of 945.3’ would have triggered SNW restrictions only once in the last 20 years.
Mayor Ryan and other council members spoke in support of either SNW elevation for Lake Minnewashta, 945.3’ or 945.5’.
“I think this is an enforcement problem,” Ryan said, “and that is what leads me to lean more towards 945.5’. … With 945.3’, I’m afraid that we’re going to put ourselves in a precarious situation again. 945.5’ gives a little more leeway to allow residents to utilize the lake at leisure, and I think that is a number that I would be comfortable with. I support either 945.3’ or 945.5’.”
McDonald made the motion that the City Council request the DNR’s approval to raise Lake Minnewashta’s SNW elevation to 945.5’, and furthermore motioned to reduce the SNW waiting period from three days to one — a measure the attending public generally supported. Council member Mark van Oven seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0.
The Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association (LMPA) held its 2025 Annual Meeting to review progress in protecting, preserving, and enhancing the quality of Lake Minnewashta. Over fifty residents attended the meeting which included an open forum on a wide variety of topics.
LMPA president Steve Gunther opened the meeting, welcoming first-time attendees and recognizing the dedicated volunteers who make the organization effective.
our 2025 board of directors
Kevin Zahler – Master water steward, AIS lead, shoreline buffer coordinator and Highway 5 expansion and chloride monitoring lead and so much more
Scot Lacek, vice president who works on permitting for invasive weed treatment, DNR funding, rock hazard mapping and responsible for an exciting new automated education system at the Regional Park
Anne Ripple – our treasurer
Helen Gunther – secretary and annual meeting planner
Doug Tanner – who contributed in a wide variety of topics
LJ Ripple – youth board member who is completing his final season with us
Dan Laun – who is retiring from the board but has provided great insights
Nancy Simpson, from the Pleasant Acres association,
Becca Fink from Campfire Minnesota who has recently left the organization
and a shout out to some special non board members
Rick Zweig – our long time water quality and elevation monitor along with Kevin Zahler. Rick has retired from service with us and we offer him our deepest thanks for a job well done
The July 4th event organizers and t-shirt committee
Gary Bhwojani, who kept our fireworks show going again in 2025!
Our neighborhood captains who are a conduit of info!
2025 Has Been A Year Of Positives For Lake Minnewashta.
We’ve experienced very good water clarity…our lake continues to be rated as an “A” lake by the MET Council
We’ve used your donations to treat many acres of invasive weeds.
Invasive Eurasian milfoil was nearly undetectable
A 5 Year Plan to eradicate Curly Leaf Pondweed was approved
Estimate $30k/year for 5 years
Scheduling a DNR required “turion” survey this fall as the first step
We’ve enjoyed Carver County’s support for incoming watercraft inspections for AIS at the Regional Park
We know of no new invasive species introduced into the lake
Proactive actions taken to address Highway 5 expansion issues
We project lower chloride runoff due to gutters and runoff ponds
We’re piloting a new automated, vehicle-activated audio training system stressing Clean-Drain-Dry at the Regional Park…developed by Scot Lacek
We’ve continued our partnership with Carver County and Chanhassen to provide expertise and grants to Minnewashta watershed owners to build shoreline buffers and rain gardens
These reduce runoff into the lake which improves water clarity.
We drove Carver County sheriff to place markers on rock hazards to reduce boat damage
We’ve had great financial support from you and built a large war chest
We’ve had cooperative use of the lake from most parties
We’ve experienced the help of wonderful volunteers… neighborhood captains, the July 4th organizers and skiers, our zebra mussel, water clarity and lake level monitors, and our board members
But on the downside
We suffered a period with Slow/No Wake declaration due to high water levels for the second year.
City Council was asked by a citizen’s group to raise the trigger level to the 100 year flood mark which the LMPA board does not support
Minnewashta is only classified as a C+ lake by MN DNR
We should be much higher to protect the water way into the future.
Minnewashta is considered an impaired lake for aquatic life
Curly Leaf pondweed (an early riser) was prolific and native weed growth is increasing as the water clarity improves.
We continue to see zebra mussels but there is no immediate solution
The expansion of Highway 5 will increase traffic noise despite our efforts
We continue to field complaints about a small number of boaters not practicing safe and responsible boating
Not observing Slow No wake, large wakes close to shore or other lake users, loud music, no lights, riding on transoms and towers, etc.
No meaningful enforcement except on July 4th
Further degradation of the lake is possible due to shoreline erosion
Boating regulations must be improved and enforced to preserve safety, shoreline protection and water quality
Our Bylaws need to be updated
For 2026, the LMPA board will focus on
Keep focused on AIS prevention and reduction
100% incoming watercraft inspections and Clean-Drain-Dry education
Implement a wide scale, multi-year weed treatment to 100% eradicate curly leaf pondweed
Investigate actions on non-invasive vegetation
Implement the automated, vehicle-activated audio training system stressing Clean-Drain-Dry at the Regional Park and other launches
Work with the city to reduce the Slow-No Wake frequency and duration
While protecting the lake from shoreline damage and water quality degradation
Continue to educate people on improving water quality by reducing run off into the lake
Shoreline buffering and rain gardens…Grant money is available
Grow the Adopt A Drain program
Don’t let leaves run off into the lake
Stay on top of the U of M’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory wave impact study and their final conclusions and recommendations (2026)
Monitor the efforts of MAISRC in developing genetic modifications of zebra mussels to eradicate them and implement when ready
Continue partnering with local and state organizations to grow the collective voice of lake associations statewide
Continue to drive better boater etiquette – share the lake
Expand and deploy our Boating Recreational Use Guidelines
with help from Minnesota Inboard and other area lake associations
Update our Bylaws
Fill the openings on our board and neighborhood captain’s rosters
Do your part to help us keep Lake Minnewashta beautiful!
Improve The Water Quality & Prevent The Spread Of Invasive Species
Use a Permitted Lake Service Provider when working on your shore
Don’t move a mussel from infested lakes via watercraft, toys or lifts
Clean, Drain and Dry your boat before and after launching
Plant a shoreline buffer strip and/or rain garden using our available design resources and grant money to help
Keep debris out of the streets & drains, especially leaves – Adopt a Drain
Inspect your docks, lifts and boats for signs of Zebra Mussels, when removed in the fall
Practice Good Boating Etiquette
Know the rules and follow them – share the lake!
Join us!
Volunteer to be a board member, a neighborhood captain or join a committee
