CRWD Fall 2008 Newsletter

Our mission is to protect, manage and improve the water resources of the Capitol Region Watershed District.

INSIDE

2 Water Fest 3 Loeb Lake Plan BACK Not Too Late to Rake!

Capitol Region Watershed District Fall 2008

Forty-two percent of CRWD is impervious surfaces: streets, roofs, sidewalk, alleys, and parking lots.

CRWD plans to bring water back to St. Paul

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ou live in Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD).

Every ten years, in cooperation with partners, we create a plan that sets the course for protecting your water resources. Our hope is to develop with you a plan to Bring Water Back to St. Paul. What do we mean by this? In the past, stormwater was viewed as a problem to remove from the landscape as quickly as possible. We designed our streets, parking lots and other paved surfaces to direct rain and snowmelt into storm drains and pipes that discharge directly to our lakes and the Mississippi River. Now, it is recognized that all water is our resource, even stormwater. We want to bring water back to the public consciousness by raising awareness of water quality problems and solutions; bring water back to groundwater sources by encouraging development practices that allow more water to soak into the ground; bring cleaner water back to our lakes, rivers, and wetlands; and bring water back through restored wetlands and improved natural areas.

What can I do?

If you have concerns or questions about water in your neighborhood, we need you as part of the Community Advisory Group. Commit to attending four meetings during the next twelve months, and help us craft the 2010 Watershed Plan. The Plan will describe the most pressing

Stormwater is piped directly to our lakes and the Mississippi River from paved surfaces via a network of storm drains without being cleaned.

Whatever is in the street is carried along with the stormwater: trash, sediment, pet waste, and oil.

water issues, determine goals and policies, and define action plans that try to solve water quality problems.

Choose one of the first series of water Issue Identification meetings to be held this December (see next page).

Capitol Region Watershed District 1410 Energy Park Drive, Suite 4 • St. Paul, MN 55108 • 651-644-8888 • www.capitolregionwd.org

Board of Managers: Robert P. Piram, President; Joe Collins; Marylyn Deneen; Mike Thienes; Seitu Jones Staff: Mark Doneux, Administrator; Bob Fossum, Water Resource Specialist; Katie Huser, Water Resource Technician; Forrest Kelley, Permit Coordinator; Anna Eleria, Water Resource Specialist; Dawn Nelson, Administrative Assistant; Melissa Baker, Water Resource Technician; Elizabeth Storey, Education & Outreach Coordinator

Established in 1998, the Capitol Region Watershed District covers 40 square miles and includes portions of the cities of Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Maplewood, Roseville and St. Paul. Located within Ramsey County, it has a population of 245,000 people. The district drains to The Mississippi River, also its primary water resource. Como Lake, Crosby Lake, Loeb Lake and Lake McCarrons are also located in the District.

Capitol Region Watershed District 1410 Energy Park Drive, Suite 4 St. Paul, MN 55108 • 651-644-8888 • www.capitolregionwd.org

Metro Children’s Water Fest

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Watershed districts work to protect, manage, and improve water resources within watershed boundaries.

Watershed Plan, continued from cover

Water Issue Identification meetings: December 8, 6:30-8:30pm, Hillcrest Recreation Center, 1978 Ford Parkway, St. Paul 55116

December 9, 2:30-4:30pm, North Dale Recreation Center, 1414 N. St. Albans, St. Paul 55117

December 10, 10:00am-12pm, CRWD Office, 1410 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul 55108

December 11, 6:30-8:30pm, Hallie Q. Brown Center, 270 North Kent Street, St. Paul 55102

For more information, see our website at capitolregionwd.org. To get involved, contact Bob Fossum at Capitol Region Watershed District, 651-6448888 or bob@capitolregionwd.org.

2 Capitol Region Watershed District Fall 2008

ach September, 1,200 fifth-graders descend onto the Minnesota State Fair Grounds, not to eat foods on a stick, but to learn about water! The annual Metro Children’s Water Festival (MCWF) provides students hands-on opportunities to learn about water and its importance to people. Students learn about groundwater storage, how scientists measure water quality, the importance of wetlands, how tiny bugs can serve as indicators of water quality, and the difference between stormwater and wastewater.

Volunteer educators of all ages from across the metro share their knowledge at Water Fest.

Capitol Region Watershed District is a sponsor of MCWF, which has been nationally recognized nationally for its outstanding work in promoting awareness and understanding of water and environmental issues. The 2008 theme was “Water Connects Everyone and Everything on Earth.”

CRWD staff also participated in an outside evaluation of the festival as part of the ongoing measurement of the University of Minnesota’s Best Practices for Field Days: A Planning Guide Book for Organizers, Presenters, Teachers, and Volunteers. Water-related field experiences add a positive twist to learning, and facilitate memories that may help young people better understand environmental information. The best practices cited in this guide are annually field-tested and measured each year by trained observers at great events like MCWF. http://www.extension.umn.edu/ FieldDays/

Students test turbidity (clarity) using a device called a transparency tube.

A small portion of the Reserve holds excess stormwater and acts as a settling pond for sediments. The CRWD 2000 Watershed Plan identified opportunities for the preservation and improvement of Willow Reserve, but no specific restoration goals were identified.

Before any management adjustments are made for Willow Reserve, it must be determined what degree of restoration is desired for the area.

Planning To Protect

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rban parks and lakes contribute to community health and sustainability, and offer city dwellers the opportunity to connect with the natural world. Loeb Lake is an urban gem, and surrounding Marydale Park near Dale and Maryland Avenue, is one of 170 St. Paul public parks and green spaces. To provide a framework for the protection and improvement of Loeb Lake, CRWD conducted a review and analysis of existing water quality, hydrological and biological information to determine the current conditions of Loeb Lake, and to develop goals for its protection and improvement. The plan also considers a neighboring water resource, Willow Reserve. The result is the Loeb Lake Area Management Plan.

identified in the plan, a primary concern is to preserve the lake’s existing water quality.

Loeb Lake

Willow Reserve

Loeb Lake is a 9-acre lake with a maximum depth of 28 feet. Loeb Lake is stocked with fish as part of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Fishing in the Neighborhood (FIN) program. FIN helps provide fishing opportunities for urban residents through fish stocking, shoreline restoration, pier installation, and public education. Loeb Lake was restocked with bluegill, catfish, and walleye in 2007; and bluegill and crappie in 2008.

The 23-acre Willow Reserve is located two blocks northeast of Loeb Lake, and is owned by the city of St. Paul.

Historic aerial photographs show all or a portion of Willow Reserve being used for agricultural production from about 1940 through the late 1980s.

In the 1960s, a neighborhood group worked with the city to have the site designated a bird and wildlife sanctuary. The St. Paul Parks & Recreation Department is responsible for Willow Reserve, which consists of wetland and upland areas.

Loeb Lake has a small watershed (44 acres). It receives only a small amount of stormwater runoff from streets, so despite its highly urbanized location it is relatively clean. Among other issues

Key management goals identified for Loeb Lake: • Maintain water quality at current conditions; • Restore the shoreline in a way that reduces runoff and enhances pollutant filtration while permitting recreational access; • Raise awareness of nonpoint source pollution and its effects on lake water quality; • Promote a healthy and balanced fish community; and • Achieve a healthy and diverse community of native plants and animals.

In the late 1980s, the area was designated to serve as an overflow area for the Trout Brook Storm Sewer System.

Goals identified for Willow Reserve: • Restore the area to maximize urban wildlife and native, non-invasive vegetative species diversity; • Raise the awareness of Willow Reserve, its purpose, and its potential; and • Improve the quality of water discharging from Willow Reserve to the Trout Brook Storm Sewer System.

Please join us for a public presentation on the Loeb Lake Area Management Plan. Learn more about the plan, and share your comments: Wednesday, Dec.10, 6:30-8:00pm Crossroads Elementary School, 543 Front Ave, St. Paul 55117 For more information contact Anna Eleria at Capitol Region Watershed District, 651-644-8888, anna@capitolregionwd.org View the draft Loeb Lake Area Management Plan at our website, capitolregionwd.org.

Bluegill is one type of panfish used to stock Loeb Lake.

Fall 2008 Capitol Region Watershed District

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1410 Energy Park Drive, Suite 4 St. Paul, MN 55108 651-644-8888 651-644-8894 fax www.capitolregionwd.org

IT’S not

too late TO shake your rake!

In autumn, all those leaves you see in the street are washed into the nearest storm drain when it rains. Leaves are a source of phosphorus, which contributes to unhealthy algae growth in local lakes and the Mississippi River. Act as the guardian angel of the storm drain near your house and rake your leaves out of the street. Raking is good exercise, and it’s even better for lakes and rivers!