Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association

As part of our ongoing effort to preserve and improve the water quality and recreational enjoyment of Lake Minnewashta for all, the LMPA will be treating Aquatic Invasive Plants again this year. We wish to keep all of you well informed and this is Notice that we will be treating various areas of Lake Minnewashta for AIS in 2023.

We have performed the first of two planned weed surveys on the lake to determine the concentration of Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP) around the lake. You can find the survey below. That survey was performed by Carver County staff. The second survey for Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) will occur later in June.

Our plans to reduce the impact of the growing invasive weeds include two treatment periods. The first treatment is for Curly-leaf pondweed(CLP) which is an invasive plant that grows in the spring and early summer.  The objective of the curly leaf pondweed treatment program is to treat the heaviest growth of CLP to improve the water quality and recreational use of the lake. The proposed treatment areas may be within 150 feet of your shoreline.The DNR requires us to notify property owners of the treatment with this announcement.  The treatment methods will follow Department of Natural Resources’ guidelines and permit.  

Curly Leaf Pondweed will be targeted, as in previous years, with the chemical Dibrox (Active Ingredient 37.3% Diquat), an EPA and DNR approved chemical for this use and no restrictions for swimming or fishing following application. This treatment will be completed the week of May 28th as Curly Leaf Pondweed is actively growing now and needs to be performed at the correct water temperature.

If you do not want the treatment to occur adjacent to your property (within 150 feet from shore), please notify us immediately at info@lakeminnewashta.org.

Eurasian Water Milfoil will be targeted for treatment later this spring with the product 2,4-D This is an EPA and DNR approved product has also been very effective in the past and has also resulted in a reduction of the areas needing treatment. Treatment areas will be determined by June’s weed survey.

Float signs will be placed in the affected areas when these treatments are made. There are very few water use restrictions with these chemicals, but property owners should take note of the information on the float signs if treatment is done in their area. For more information, please contact us.

The cost of these treatments is funded by the generous donations of LMPA members and is an important step in maintaining the superior water quality that we all enjoy. If you are a lakeshore property owner or a fan of the lake and don’t already belong, please consider joining LMPA and help by providing a donation to support this important program. More information can be found on our website.

Thank you for your consideration and support!

KABOOM is excited to announce the 2023 Lake Minnewashta Fireworks Show on Monday July 3rd at 10 pm. This celebration is the perfect way to kick off the 4th of July festivities so be sure to mark your calendars! As reported in past newsletters, KABOOM has been working through some challenges that occurred due to COVID and funding issues. The main challenge being the fireworks vendor we used to work with is no longer able to support us.  The cost of the new vendor is significantly higher than in the past. Like many of you, KABOOM would prefer to have the 2023 and future shows on the evening of July 4th. However, at this time, our budget does not allow us that option. 

However, we are grateful for the opportunity to continue to keep this special tradition going and we know that July 3rd will be a spectacular show!

We need your support!

KABOOM anticipates that the costs required to put on the fireworks show is only going to increase over the year. We are in need of significant financial support in order to keep the show alive! Thank you to those who have already reached out with your generous support. Be sure to continue to spread the word to your neighbors and friends about KABOOM. If you and your family and friends love the fireworks show, we ask that you consider a donation. No amount is too small!

Ways to donate:

1.  Send your tax-deductible donations to:  KABOOM, 3301 Shore Drive, Excelsior, MN 55331

2.  Use the ZELLE app: From your bank’s website or the Zelle app, send your donation to: MNKaboom@Gmail.com

Click on this LINK to order your very own Lake Minnewashta Fourth of July T shirts. The deadline for ordering shirts is June 6th.

Lake Minnewashta made a big push in the final week and almost overtook Lotus Lake….but in the end, Lotus was able to squeak out the victory!  With a 4.4% increase in adopted drains, Lotus came out on top vs. the 4.3% increase posted by Minnewashta.  Riley also sped things up at the end, getting 5 residents to adopt drains during the final week of the campaign.

Thank you to all of you who made this campaign possible.  You should be proud that as a result of your efforts, over 70 new storm drains which flow into the lakes we love have someone to care for them and regularly keep them free of debris.  You’ve positively made a difference, and my hope is that word will continue to spread about this easy and meaningful effort that our residents can own for themselves. 

Some final stats if you want to share: Between these three lakes, we now have over 70 storm drains adopted! Lake Minnewashta made a fierce push in the final week, with Longwood Rd stepping up to cover the SE corner of the lake!

The “Above & Beyond” award goes to the Robbins family near Lotus Lake, who adopted a total of 8 drains in their neighborhood!

NO SWEAT!!!! Runoff Buffer and/or Rain Garden Installation grant program is available to all residents within the Minnewashta watershed, area bounded by highway 7 on the north, highway 5 on the south, highway 41 on the east and Rolling Acres Road on the west, see the map below. Lake side or residential lot, all are welcome! Help us clean stormwater flowing to the Lake Minnewashta watershed and street drains! End result is a completed project on your property supervised and installed by others! Metro Blooms will project manage and supervise the installation on your property.

THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO INSTALL A BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PROJECT IN YOUR YARD AT A VERY LOW COST!! (A very rough estimate for a qualified $3000 to $4000 project (250 FT2 to 500 FT2) could cost the resident $300 to $600)

This is a time sensitive offer and limited to the first three applicants. 

We have several potential grants involved in this opportunity and we thank all our partners for their help and cooperation. After the initial LMPA grant all other grants are on a reimbursement basis. After project approval by LMPA, CSWCD and City of Chanhassen the resident will pay all expenses and then provide receipts for reimbursement for each approved grant.

• Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association(LMPA), will provide an upfront grant of $710 to cover the cost for Metro Blooms to provide consultation, design, estimate and assist in filling out the CSWCD application and City of Chanhassen LID application.
• Carver County Soil & Water Conservation District (CSWCD) will provide an approved project an additional grant that would include the cost of materials and project management by Metro Booms. This grant is through CSWCD where they can provide grant money in accordance with their Shoreline Habitat Program. Click HERE for information. Requires CSWCD Board approval and resident agreeing to a 10-year maintenance agreement.
• City of Chanhassen provides funds via their Low Impact Development grant (LID), see HERE for information. Residents are eligible for a grant of 50% on actual costs up to $2000.
• Metro Blooms, https://metroblooms.org/, provides initial design, estimate and applications completion. Metro Blooms also provides all materials, project management and installation supervision after projects are approved by CSWCD and City of Chanhassen
• Conservation Corp Minnesota (CCM) provides installation supervised by Metro Blooms.

Interested parties should contact the following, with approval from LMPA and CSWCD, Metro Blooms will then assist with consultation, design and filling in the applications. 

Seth Ristow – sristow@co.carver.mn.us, Resource Conservation Technician, CSWCD 

Kevin Zahler – kjzahler@hotmail.com, Master Water Steward, LMPA

Have you suffered from damage as a result of hitting submerged rocks on Lake Minnewashta? Please take our survey and let us know about it! Click HERE to take the survey.