Location: Cormorant, Minnesota
Client: Cormorant Lake Watershed District
Background
In 2021, HEI was hired to write the
Otter Tail River One Watershed, One Plan (1W1P). The plan was approved by the state in January 2023. The planning partners received watershed based implementation funding in spring of 2023, and the first item the Cormorant Lakes Watershed District (CLWD) did as part of their outreach for the 1W1P was the preparation of five mini lake plans.
The Project
Because our team had just finished writing the Otter Tail River 1W1P, we needed no time to get up to speed on the implementation data, plan formatting, maps, and local resources to complete these mini plans.
We began the plan writing with a meeting with the CLWD Board of Managers to discuss the format, layout, and watershed partner needs. Once the design was finalized, the team created the action plans from existing water quality data and the 1W1P’s goals.
The plans focus on the direct drainage area to each lake that are tied to the specific nutrient reductions identified in the 1W1P. They also correlate with potential water clarity gains.
Because these lake plans are meant to involve Lake Associations with implementing the 1W1P, each lake plan has a page with specific actions and annual goals to implement on the specific lake. For example, Upper Cormorant Lake has a goal of restoring one shoreline to native vegetation each year for 10 years. It explains the cost share funding available and gives contact information for the CLWD, Becker County, and Becker Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) for receiving technical and financial assistance. The hope for these plans is that the Lake Associations can report their goal progress each year to the CLWD and planning partners to make real change on the lake to protect water quality.
These plans will kick off the Otter Tail River 1W1P implementation efforts.
View the Otter Tail River 1W1P
here.
Project Highlights
- Short, unique plans that meet each lake’s specific needs.
- Kick starting 1W1P implementation efforts.
- Capitalizing on extra planning funds to save money on implementation efforts.