Residents of Palmer Township are taking measures to clean up their lakes. 

According to Dan Cibulka with the Sherburne County Soil and Water Conservation District, all the Palmer lakes are listed as impaired water bodies which do not meet standards set by the state. 

For some time, the residents of the area and those who enjoy using the lakes for recreation have noticed a decline in the water quality and purity. In order to address this, the Briggs Lake Chain Association ordered testing of the water quality, through a company called Stantec, in a study to see if the Briggs Lake chain of lakes would qualify for a special treatment. The testing took place over the course of the last two years, and the study found that the water was incredibly high in phosphorus. 

Phosphorus causes algae to flourish. When phosphorus is high, increased amounts of algae grow in the water. The algae blooms are not pleasant to look at, but, more than that, they can block sunlight from getting into the lake, which kills off weeds that grow under the water, which reduces the amount of oxygen in the water, which hurts the fish, and continues a downward spiral of overall lake health. Phosphorus can enter the lake through rain runoff or can be stirred up from where it is settled in the bottom of the lake, Cibulka stated. 

The study proved that Briggs Lake would qualify for an alum treatment. Alum, or aluminum sulfate, is a chemical that binds readily to phosphorus. Once the alum binds to the phosphorus, the chemicals all settle into the bottom of the lake, and the phosphorus is no longer able to cause algae to bloom. The chemical is completely safe, and has been used to treat drinking water for decades. 

The study from the last two years showed that there is one spot deep enough in Briggs Lake to perform the treatment, and so the residents of Palmer involved in the BLCA or the Three Lake Improvement District (TLID) are moving forward with the grant process this summer. Most of the cost (90%) will likely be covered by grants, though the grant has not yet been officially given. Once the treatment is done, the water quality of Briggs Lake will improve within hours or days. The effect of the treatment should also spread to other lakes. Rush Lake, which is downstream from Briggs Lake, will see the next highest level of improvement from the treatment, as much less phosphorus will be entering the lake from Briggs. Big Elk Lake further downstream will similarly see results. Lake Julia will also improve, as during high-water events there will no longer be lots of phosphorus coming in from Briggs Lake through spillover. 

However, the alum treatment isn’t the only way in which Palmer residents hope to tackle the phosphorus issue. During another study, they found that the chain of lakes had a huge carp problem. Hopefully, pending on the approval of another grant, Palmer residents will be able to take on this issue as well. 

Ruth Thom, co-chair of the Healthy Lakes Committee through the Briggs Lake Chain Association (BLCA), stated, “We knew we had a carp problem, but didn’t realize how big of a carp problem. There are four to five times more carp than we would want to have.”

Carp contribute to phosphorus issues, because they search for food by stirring up the soft bottoms of the lake. This releases any phosphorus that has settled down to the bottom of the lakes. 

Fortunately, this will not interrupt the alum treatment, says Bre Bauerly, the other co-chair for the Healthy Lakes Association. 

The alum treatment will be done at the deepest part of Briggs Lake where it will not be disturbed by the fish.

Bob Sass, Chairman of the Three Lakes Improvement District, says the stars have aligned for the lakes to have the phosphorus issue tackled from two directions. 

Palmer received a bid and is looking to partner with a company called Carp Solutions to help manage the issue. The company was founded by researchers from the University of Minnesota who saw the issues that carp presented to Minnesota waterways. 

During the carp treatment, baited nets will be used to catch large amounts of carp and remove them from the lakes. Other carp will be tagged and released back into the lake so their movements can be monitored. Their spawning grounds will be located and measures will be taken to prevent the carp from spawning in their preferred places, causing their population to decline. 

Residents and lake enthusiasts of the area who want to hear more about the carp management plans can attend a special presentation at Palmer Town Hall on Saturday, April 12 at 10 a.m.