Agreement reached on draining Anderson Lakes

The Eden Prairie lakes won't be completely emptied to clear them of curly-leaf pondweed if plan gets final approval tonight.

By Laurie Blake, Star Tribune

Last update: September 18, 2007 - 11:42 PM

The plan to drain the Anderson Lakes along Hwy. 169 in Eden Prairie to clear them of curly-leaf pondweed will stop short of a total draw-down to please lakeshore home owners who worried that the lakes would not refill.

Tonight the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District is expected to approve a compromise to drain most of the water and use chemicals to kill weeds in the water that remains.

"I think we are going to meet everybody's objectives of achieving our water-quality goals and controlling the growth of the aquatic invasive species and having homeowners be more comfortable with what they are looking at out of their kitchen windows," said John Barten, water resources manager for the Three Rivers Park District, which owns 90 percent of the lakeshore.

Leaving some water in the lakes gives them "a better chance of filling back up from a resident's point of view," said Mike Bendtsen, president of the Anderson Lakes Association.

Area residents have the right to approve a compromise. If the Watershed District and residents approve the compromise as expected, the Watershed District must then decide whether to carry out the partial drainage of the lakes this fall. It may have to be delayed until 2008 because turtles and other wildlife might not have time this fall to find other places to spend the winter.

Curly-leaf pondweed, a nonnative plant, covers 45 to 50 percent of the northwest and southwest Anderson Lakes. The plant contributes to conditions that turn the water green.

The city of Eden Prairie and the Three Rivers Park District earlier this year endorsed the nonchemical approach to controlling the pondweed. Draining is less expensive and keeps weeds away longer than chemical treatment, but it's considered only when lakes are shallow and easily drained. Anderson Lakes are 8 to 10 feet deep.

Residents, worried about their views and their property values, were concerned that the lakes would not fill back up. Nearly 200 people signed a petition saying they would be "comfortable" using herbicides, leaving the water level alone.

Pumping the lake completely dry was really not technically feasible," Barten said. "We recognized there would be some pool of water out in the lake but the homeowners had a perception that the lake would be completely bone-dry."

Together the two lakes cover about 295 acres. Watershed District administrator Kevin Bigalke expects 19 to 29 acres to be covered by water when the draw-down is finished.

The lakes, upstream of Mount Normandale Lake, would drain into Nine Mile Creek.

Bloomington has asked the Watershed District to drain Normandale Lake to kill pondweed next year. A decision to put off the Anderson Lakes draw-down would delay the draining of Normandale Lake, Bigalke said.

Laurie Blake • 612-673-1711

Laurie Blake • lblake@startribune.com

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