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The goal to improve the navigability throughout the Chisago Chain of Lakes could see some progress over this upcoming winter.  The engineering firm expected to draft project scenarios and estimate costs is slated for the Lake Improvement District agenda in December.  

The firm was directed at the November LID meeting to bring along concepts for widening and deepening the North Center to North Lindstrom Lakes channel.  LID Board members will further narrow down the direction the project will take at the December session.

Ben Elfelt, Lake Improvement District Executive Director, says the “modeling” the LID needs done first has been analyzed extensively. In order to do the correct studies and measurements and identify what style of weir (adjustable or natural)  will be decided at the next LID meeting.

As for the landowners on either side of the channel, the LID continues negotiations on easements and/ or acquisition, as needed.  The owners are cooperative, he said.  The specific positioning of an Olinda Trail North turnaround on the south side of the channel is still being tweaked.

There has been a “channel work group” discussing this project to try to bring in nearby cities and others’ input on this long-envisioned plan to create a useful connection, from what is often an unpredictable access point between the lakes in the chain.

This channel is key to boating from South Center to North Center, to North Lindstrom, into South Lindstrom under Highway 8 to the existing connection with Chisago Lake. Big Green/Little Green make up the south end of the “chain” and currently there is no direct water connection.  There is a lake level drainage route that was cleared to alleviate flooding damage when lake levels are excessive.

To be discussed once the engineering work is done is the depth of the North Center-North Lindstrom channel, if the width should be 30 feet or more (or less) and if the bottom elevation (draft) will require attention.  The final extent of the project will dictate which sort of permits that will be needed from various agencies.

Elfelt stressed that the Lake Improvement District Board has not yet taken an official vote on the scope of improvements to this channel.

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