DNR sends out drawdown letters

by Dennis Dalman

editor@thenewsleaders.com

Residents who live along Little Rock Lake and along the Mississippi River from north of the Sartell dam to just south of Rice should have received a letter in the mail about a proposed drawdown.

It is proposed to draw down the level of Little Rock Lake and that portion of the river from July 2017 through the end of August 2017. The proposal is being made by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the letter and information, along with a drawdown information fact sheet, were sent by Eric Altena, fisheries manager of the MnDNR office in Little Falls. Altena has given several well-attended meetings concerning the drawdown at venues in and near Rice and in Sartell.

Some oppose the drawdown as it will have some temporary adverse effects on recreational river uses or lake uses during the drawdown time of about seven weeks. The drawdown would drop the level of the lake and river by about two feet by opening up the Sartell dam to let more water through during the drawdown period.

Drawdowns can improve water quality by stabilizing shorelines, removing excess nutrients and encouraging the growth of deep-rooted beneficial native plants. Drawdowns can also improve fish and wildlife habitats.

If the results of a drawdown prove to be successful, it could be done again as often as once in every seven to 10 years.

In recent years, algae blooms in Little Rock Lake near Rice have become so severe they endanger the health of children and dogs. The drawdown is supposed to improve water quality and to prevent algae blooms from nutrients draining into the lake and the river. There were two drawdowns of part of the Mississippi River in 2001 and 2002, Altena noted.

The reason July and August were chosen for a drawdown is because that is the optimal period for the most rapid plant growth.

To learn more about the drawdown proposal, go to www.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/littlefalls/drawdown.html.