The Goose Lake Chain of Lakes Water Quality Committee with its dedicated members has continued to meet this past fall and winter,
and they are full steam ahead already this spring. The committee is 15 people strong but is always looking for more enthusiastic
and effort driven association members to join in. Here is an update of what has been and what is going on with the committee.
1. Adopted a Mission Statement for the entire association.
2. Attended a two-day Healthy Lakes & Rivers
Partnership workshop sponsored by the Initiative Foundation. Earned $800.00.
3. Held a successful
visioning session that determined improving water quality and controlling invasive aquatic vegetation were the watershed and association’s
top priorities.
4. Three committee members completed Ecoli testing where samples were sent t the U of
MN Water Resources Center for analysis.
5. Secchi disk readings were and continue to be done on all four
bodies of water.
6. Identified with GPS coordinates all of the ditches, streams, inlets, and outlets
from all four bodies of water.
7. A strong and supportive relationship has been built with Chisago County
Environmental Services team (Jerry Spetzmen & Casey Thiel)
8. A relationship and dialogue with Chris
Klucas of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has been established.
9. The MN DNR has completed a
GPS Aquatic Map Survey.
10. Thanks to Casey Thiel and several of the committee members the Goose Creek Watershed
Intensive Monitoring Program has started. The Chisago Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) have received a grant from
the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The Surface Water Assessment Grant (SWAG) was awarded to the SWCD on January
14, 2009. This grant will pay for the monitoring of 15 tributaries and drainage ditches within the Watershed. Monitoring
will be completed by volunteers from the Goose Chain of Lakes Association. The grant will allow for the intensive monitoring
to take place for two years. The information gathered from the monitoring will assist in determining impairments for the upcoming
Total Daily Maximum Load study on the Watershed. The monitoring will also identify focus areas for implementation practices
(fencing, filter strips, gully stabilization, etc.) to reduce pollutant loading into Goose, Mandall and Robour lakes and the St. Croix
River. This program will allow the Watershed to be monitored for the following parameters: Ammonia Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, Total
Suspended Solids, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen and observations. The information that is collected from the monitoring will be available
through the Goose Chain of Lakes Association.
If you have interest in becoming a part of the committee please contact Marco Schisano
at 320-358-3323.
