The City Council unanimously approved seeking engineering proposals to replace the Lake Titloe dam.

Greg DeVries, a member of the Lake Titloe Committee, provided information to the Council that the City has owned the dam since 1893.

An inspection by the Department of Natural Resources in June 2008 by Ethan Jenzen and Robb Collett states that the dam is unstable and in poor condition.

The inspection report states that the concrete spillway is broken and offset from the desired position. The downstream area has been filled with broken concrete with reinforcement exposed and creating a rapids system. The earthen embankment was judged to be unstable with trees covering the crest.

Another major concern is that several small side channels have been cut and water flows away from the main channel, and also indicates seepage or overflow in the embankments. There was found to be inadequate riprap on all portions of the structure.

Collett told the Council that the dam replacement could be placed on the 2012 bonding list but that there are no guarantees. Collett said that he would like to seek the dam replacement within the next five years.

Collett indicated that there are now several funding sources that might help pay for the project. He also said that the public ditch system might also be a potential source of funds for the project.

Jim Swanson, a member of the Lake Titloe Committee, updated council members on the status of clean up project. He also discussed plans to form subcommittees to work on various tasks.

The subcommittees and main responsibilities include:

Committee for shoreline landscaping;
• Gather names and types of plants that can be purchased;
• Gather types of techniques that are recommended and can be applied to Lake Titloe;
• Gather ideas for landowner incentives to participate in shoreline landscaping;
• Distribute information to landowners;
• Hold a meeting/workshop for landowners to promote shoreline landscaping ideas;

Committee for island reclamation;
• Check with DNR in Hutchinson for approvals and regulations;
• Research other island reclamation projects;
• Locate sources of riprap or if vegetation would be a more viable option;
• Consider alternative ways to keep shorelines from eroding into the lake;

Committee for fund raising;
• Research funding sources such as – pull tabs, raffles, community events, grants;

Committee for restoring/rebuilding dam;
• Research how dam can be replaced;
• Dam structure option;
• Research funding for a restoration/rebuilding project;

All of the subcommittees would be required to go to the Lake Titlow Committee before any action would be taken, according to Swanson.

Gaylord’s Lake Titloe Committee was formed in 2001 with the goal of cleaning up and improving the condition of the lake.

In 2008, cleanup efforts received a boost when the City was awarded $475,000 in bonding money from the State. $300,000 of that money was allocated for rerouting storm water which had been running into the lake. It was rerouted to the City’s storm water pond. The remaining portion of the bonding money was allocated for preliminary design and research on how to improve the lake’s water quality.

Students and professors from Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU), and Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH) are working together on ways to improve Lake Titloe. Data is still being gathered, Swanson reported.

That question may be answered next week when geologists from Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) report on recent testing.

According to Jim Swanson, a member of the Lake Titloe committee, MSU water specialists have been conducting water tests on Lake Titloe and in ditches that flow into the lake. MSU is in its last year of its study to help determine if the waters will be declared impaired, Swanson explained.

MSU representatives will report on their findings in a meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 24th at the Gaylord Library Community Room. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m.

According to Swanson, the Lake Titloe committee will also use this meeting to establish other groups to work on improving the lake. These groups or committees include:
• shoreline landscaping;
• protecting shoreline on the islands;
• improving/replacing the dam;
• fund raising/applying for grants;

Swanson said more community involvement is need so more can be accomplished in restoring the lake. Anyone in the community or area is welcome to attend the meeting and/or volunteer to help out on a committee.

“If the lake is to be restored, more community members need to get involved,” Swanson said.

Shoreline landscape will be one of the topics discussed, according to committee member Jim Swanson. He said the goal is to talk to homeowners and inform them on how they can improve their shoreline.

Plans are to establish a shoreline landscape committee, Swanson explained. Another committee will be established to consider the possibility of installing riprap around Lake Titloe’s islands. This would preserve the life of the islands, Swanson explained.

A final topic to be discussed will be the Lake Titloe dam. The committee is interested in replacing the dam, Swanson explained.

Anyone interested in shoreline landscape, riprap on the islands, or the replacement of the dam is encouraged to attend Tuesday’s meeting.

This device, installed on the north side of Lake Titloe last week, will soon provide up to the minute weather information for the Gaylord area. Hydrology specialists studying Lake Titloe’s water quality said the device will record air temperature, wind speed, precipitation, power of the sun and other weather related items. It will also measure water quality parameters. Once programmed, the data will be accessible via a Web site. Pictured above, left to right, are Scott Kudelka, Bryce Hoppie and Scott Matteson.

The March 31st “ice out” date is approximately ten days earlier than normal, according to The Gaylord Hub records.

A year ago, ice covered the lake until April 15th. It was one of the latest “ice out” dates in the past 30 years. According to Hub records, the earliest “ice out” date in the past few decades is March 7th.

The Hub’s criteria for the lake being ice-free requires that one could boat (or swim) from shore-to-shore across the largest portions of the lake.

That is a question geologists from Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) have tried to answer. Funded by a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) grant, these ditches were monitored throughout 2008 and the results were reported earlier this month during a meeting at the library.

Judicial Ditch #18 and County Ditch #18 were monitored, according to MSU hydrology specialist Bryce Hoppie. He said Judicial Ditch #18 has an individual watershed and carries the “lion’s share”, or 68%, of the water that flows into Lake Titloe. County Ditch #18 carries 29% of the water that flows into the lake, according to Hoppie’s report.

Studies indicated that, while Judicial Ditch #18 carried the majority of water into the lake, most of the suspended solids and phosphorous were coming from County Ditch #18. Nearly 60% of all sediment and phosphorous going into the lake was coming from County Ditch #18, Hoppie explained.

It was also reported that “much more” sediment was washing into the lake than what was washing out. Hoppie estimated that there were 5,000 additional pounds of phosphorous monitored at the lake’s intakes than there was at the outlet.

Test results have led the MPCA to qualify Lake Titloe as an “impaired” body of water, according to Hoppie. This should lead to more funding opportunities for lake cleanup efforts in the future.

More water quality testing on Lake Titloe is planned for this season. Hoppie said monitoring equipment will be installed as soon as the ice leaves the lake. This equipment will provide up to the minute weather data which will be accessible via a Web site.

Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH), which is collecting and assembling data from MSU, also provided a report at the meeting earlier this month. According to Water Resource Engineer Ron Leaf, SEH will gather data and define areas and ways to improve Lake Titloe’s watershed. We need to verify which is the best area to focus on so we can get the best out of every dollar used for the improvements, Leaf explained. SEH will eventually prepare a final project report and submit it to the MPCA.

A budget of $78,000 has been budgeted for SEH’s work on Lake Titloe cleanup efforts. This is being funded by State bonding money the City received last year.

“It has been a long, slow process, but we are really starting to see some fruits of our efforts,” Lake Titloe Committee member Jim Swanson told those attending the meeting.

Larry Podratz is the chairman of the Lake Titloe Committee. He has scheduled the next meeting for Thursday, April 23rd. It will be held at the library beginning at 7:00 p.m.

According to Jim Swanson of the Lake Titloe Committee, MSU geologist Bryce Hoppie will report on the test results. The committee will also hear about the progress of a watershed cleanup plan and learn about grant opportunities, Swanson explained.

For the past two summers, MSU geologists and students have been conducting tests on the lake in an attempt to determine why the water quality is poor in Lake Titloe.

Cleanup efforts got a boost last summer when the City received $475,000 in State bonding money to be used for improving the water quality in the lake.

The City used $300,000 of this money to reroute storm water lines that had been emptying into the lake. Those lines are now emptying into the stormwater pond on the east side of Gaylord. The remaining $175,000 of the State bonding money is marked for studying, planning and producing design solutions to improve the water in the lake.

The Lake Titloe committee’s study proposal, accepted by the City Council in the fall of 2008, is expected to cost $168,590.

According to City Administrator Kevin McCann, there are two parts to the study proposal. The first part is expected to cost $90,590 and involves more water testing by Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU). Part two involves Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH) developing a plan to improve the water in the lake. The total cost for SEH’s work is estimated at $78,000.

Bryce Hoppie, a hydrology specialist from MSU, spoke to City Council members last fall. A grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has funded studying on the lake in 2008, according to Hoppie. He said MSU students have gathered water samples from Lake Titloe eleven times during the 2008 season. This group is also studying the water coming into and leaving the lake, Hoppie explained.

Although official results require a full year of testing, initial studies indicate this is a low water quality lake, according to Hoppie. Studies show high algae early in the season. Hoppie said the water quality improves in late spring but then the algae kicks in again in July.

SEH will collect and assemble the data from MSU. Water specialists will create a computer model of the watershed which is approximately 38,000 acres, according to Justin Black of SEH. An implementation plan to improve the water entering the lake will then be developed, Black explained.

SEH will also prepare a final project report and submit it to the MPCA. This could “catapult” the lake onto the State’s impaired waters list, according to Black. If that was the case, there would be more funding opportunities to continue cleanup efforts, he explained.

Gaylord residents will notice a total increase of approximately $2.65 per month or $31.80 per year. The utility rate hike will help fund a portion of debt service payments for Gaylord’s 2008 Street and Utility Improvement Project, according to City administrator Kevin McCann.

In 2008, the City conducted street/utility improvements in the area of Lincoln Avenue. Construction for that project totalled $2,250,245. There were additional fees for engineering, surveying and administration, according to McCann.

Sibley County provided $850,000 in funds for this project because Lincoln Avenue was a State Aid street project. Another $300,000 came from the State as the City rerouted storm water pipes from Lake Titloe to the storm water pond.

The City bonded for the remaining $1,900,000. Special assessments covered nearly 40% of this bond, according to McCann. Utility rates covered a total of 29% with the remaining balance being raised through the City’s annual tax levy, he explained.

According to McCann, to get the revenues on utilities, the City would need to obtain $17,650 per year for water and sewer and $7,350 on storm water. To accomplish this, the City’s financial advisor proposed increasing the base rate for sanitary sewer and water $1.50 per user, and increasing the storm water 6.00% across the board.

City staff recommended another option which would obtain the same amount of revenue for the utility funds. That option was approved by council members and is as follows:

Sewer Utility
• increase base rate by $1.00 (from $9.85 to $10.85) and increase usage rate 9¢ (from $2.70/1,000 gal. to $2.79/1,000 gal.);

Water Utility
• increase base rate by $1.00 (from $9.75 to $10.75) and increase usage rate 6¢ (from $1.90/1,000 gal. to $1.96/1,000 gal.);

Storm Water
The only option to obtain revenue is to increase the storm water utility rate by 6.00%. This would increase a residence’s bill by 52¢ per month (from $8.69 to $9.21) or $6.24 per year.

According to McCann, City staff proposed the above option because the City would get the guaranteed revenue from the increased base rate, but the hike wouldn’t be so large for people who use a minimal amount of water. It is a good balance, he reported.

The last utility rate hike for the City of Gaylord was nearly a year ago. That was the first rate increase in nearly four years.

Earlier this year, the City received $475,000 in State bonding money to be used for Lake Titloe cleanup efforts. The City is using $300,000 of this money for the rerouting of storm water lines that had been emptying into the lake. Those lines are now emptying into the stormwater pond on the east side of Gaylord.

The remaining $175,000 of the State bonding money is marked for studying, planning and producing design solutions to improve the water in the lake. The Lake Titloe committee’s study proposal, accepted by the City Wednesday, is expected to cost $168,590.

According to City Administrator Kevin McCann, there are two parts to the study proposal. The first part is expected to cost $90,590 and involves more water testing by Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU). Part two involves Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH) developing a plan to improve the water in the lake. The total cost for SEH’s work is estimated at $78,000.

Bryce Hoppie, a hydrology specialist from MSU, spoke to council members Wednesday. A grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has funded studying on the lake this year, according to Hoppie. He said MSU students have gathered water samples from Lake Titloe eleven times this season. This group is also studying the water coming into and leaving the lake, Hoppie explained.

Although official results require a full year of testing, initial studies indicate this is a low water quality lake, according to Hoppie. Studies show high algae early in the season. Hoppie said the water quality improves in late spring but then the algae kicks in again in July.

With the City’s approval, MSU will be able to complete its water testing. MSU’s proposal includes purchasing equipment for collecting water samples. There will be temporary testing stations in ditches and in the lake. Stations in the lake will be marked with flags, according to Hoppie.

SEH will then collect and assemble the data from MSU. Water specialists will create a computer model of the watershed which is approximately 38,000 acres, according to Justin Black of SEH. An implementation plan to improve the water entering the lake will then be developed, Black explained.

SEH will also prepare a final project report and submit it to the MPCA. This could “catapult” the lake onto the State’s impaired waters list, according to Black. If that was the case, there would be more funding opportunities to continue cleanup efforts, he explained.

The MSU water studies and the work by SEH is expected to take one year.

Council members voted 4-1 to accept the Lake Titloe Committee’s proposal to work with MSU and SEH. Council member Brenda Pautsch was opposed. She questioned why SEH was the only offer received for the work of implementing and developing a cleanup plan.

According to McCann, the Lake Titloe Committee recommended working with SEH on this project due to the past working relationship with the City and its knowledge of similar projects.

Because MSU students are being utilized, Hoppie told council members that all the work is being done for half the typical cost. “It is a very reasonable price range,” Hoppie said.