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In the hallways of government it is understood that things take time.  In the pursuit of navigability of the Chisago Chain of Lakes nothing could be truer.

The Chisago County Board accepted a recommendation from the Chisago Lakes Lake Improvement District (LID) managers 10 years ago to “postpone” further action on enhancements to the channel between North Center Lake and North Lindstrom, until more specific bridge design (for the span on the channel’s west end) could be finalized.

The County Road 20 bridge (which the channel goes beneath) was completed in 2018-2019. Last week the channel enhancement plan was taken off the shelf.  

The LID Board asked the county commissioners to approve an expense of $10,000 to contract for an appraisal leading to a possible purchase offer on land abutting both sides of the channel position.  LID Director Ben Elfelt was careful to explain the channel is only proposed to be widened and NO dredging is proposed.  He said LID managers have heard from hydrology experts over the past year or so on the feasibility of widening the channel. This appraisal is a “first step” he added.

The appraisal funds come out of LID reserves because this was not budgeted. Now is the time the landowners apparently are willing to negotiate and the LID wants to respond swiftly.  Owners include the proprietors of the manufactured home village commonly called “Blue Waters,” and Chisago Lake Township has a strip of a  parcel earmarked as future roadway, and Diane John has the land on the side opposite the mobile home site.  (See aerial graphic.) 

There was no discussion about possible purchase price, as the county commissioners voted 5-0 to allow for the appraisal by Lake State Realty, to proceed. 

Commissioner Ben Montzka did have concern for what the “plan” is to mitigate any damages later that could arise from a larger contemporary interconnection.  There may be flooding impacts from increased  flowage and invasive aquatic plants/species may travel more easily.  There are  issues identified in the last decade of channel environmental analysis that’s been done and Montzka asked how the LID expects to “mitigate” negative outcomes. 

In 2014 the LID voted to eliminate any further studying of building a weir structure.

Elfelt said the idea is only to widen the channel and acquire enough land to have snowmobilers use and avoid unpredictable ice thickness at channels.   There’s been impacts from snowmobiling that the city of Lindstrom, which is responsible for the Allemansratt and Anderson Penninsula park areas adjacent to this channel site,  has had to deal with.  A designated trail may lessen these issues.

The bottom elevation of the channel could be no lower than 894 feet above sea level, without dredging, according to earlier designs for the project.  At this relatively natural depth there is useable water for boating 40 percent of the seasons, according to data since 1968, Elfelt explained.   Historic lake charts depict the surface of the two lake  basins sits about 897 feet above sea level— leaving a three foot draft clearance theoretically.  (Lake Level readings for recent weeks have put the two lakes at 897 feet and several inches.)

Addressing Commissioner Montzka’s concerns, Chair Marlys Dunne stated the land needs to acquired first.  “Nothing happens if we don’t own the land,” she observed.

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