Losing Our Lakes

Losing our lakes

Part 3: Overwhelmed and worried

A worried officer tells of the enormous struggle to protect state lakes. Updated Mar. 15, 2011

Losing our lakes

Part 1: Rules skirted and lakes under attack

Officials in Minnesota's vacationland can't say 'no' to those who want to break the rules. Updated Mar. 15, 2011

Losing our lakes

Losing Our Lakes series: A stinking mess

Part 2: Lake Independence was supposed to be Minnesota's first success in the Clean Water program. Instead, it was our first failure. Updated Jan. 17, 2012

Officials in Minnesota's vacationland can't say 'no' to those who want to break the rules. Since 2005, land-use boards in Cass and Crow Wing counties allowed hundreds of home builders to break rules aimed at preserving the state's most valuable natural resource, according to a Star Tribune review of thousands of pages of building records.

Waterfront home built 39 feet from the water

Part 1: Rules skirted and lakes under attack
Article By: JIM SPENCER ,Star Tribune Publish June 20, 2010 2:00 AM / Update June 23, 2010 10:47 AM
Officials in Minnesota's vacationland can't say 'no' to those who want to break the rules.

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Can’t say ‘no’
Article By: Raymond Grumney , Publish / Update March 15, 2011 1:14 PM
Land-use boards in Cass and Crow Wing counties routinely allow home builders to break rules aimed at protecting the lakes from pollution and overdevelopment.

Variances: skirting the rules
Article By: Mark Boswell , Publish / Update March 15, 2011 1:13 PM
See variances allowed at more than 200 lakes

Lake Independence, 20 miles west of Minneapolis and surrounded by roll...

Losing Our Lakes Part 2: A stinking mess
Article By: TOM MEERSMAN , Star Tribune Publish June 21, 2010 2:00 AM / Update June 21, 2010 9:00 AM
Part 2: Lake Independence was supposed to be Minnesota's first success in the Clean Water program. Instead, it was our first failure.

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One lake gets cleanup money, but makes little progress
Article By: Raymond Grumney , Publish / Update March 15, 2011 1:14 PM
Eight years after Lake Independence was declared ‘impaired,’ however, the water remains almost as polluted as ever. A $410,000 grant was largely spent on less effective urban projects such as rain gardens after farmers and livestock owners declined to participate in the cleanup.

Cary Shoutz, Cross Lake area state conservation officer, cruises the s...

Part 3: Overwhelmed and worried
Article By: JIM SPENCER , Star Tribune Publish June 22, 2010 2:00 AM / Update June 25, 2010 7:33 AM
A worried officer tells of the enormous struggle to protect state lakes.

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Video: on the water with state conservation officer Cary Shoutz
Article By: Brian Peterson , Publish / Update April 20, 2011 5:54 PM
Cary Shoutz is one of 191 enforcement agents who are supposed to protect 12,000 lakes from safety and environmental violation. But some conservation officials, including Shoutz, say their forces have been been stretched by stagnant staffing during a 30-year boom in lakefront development. "I think we should be worried," he says.

The dos and don’ts of lake properties
Article By: Raymond Grumney , Publish / Update March 15, 2011 1:13 PM
House size, lot size, ground cover and distance to the water affect lakes.