AIS Report; Drought, Invasive and Phosphorous Load
Miserable-ize Lake Conditions
By Eric Hohman, DLARA Board Member
In 2021 $63,500 was spent by the Diamond Lake Area Recreation Association to treat 40.4 acres, primarily in the northern portion of Diamond Lake. The major source of funding was a $55,000 county real estate assessment. Originally the lake association had planned to treat a larger area,but we were restricted by a lake survey by the DNR in the spring of 2021and a limitation of funds available.
Next year we will try to cover a larger area of the lake with a focus on shallower water. Once again, what we plan and what we accomplish will be contingent on the DNR survey next spring. The treatment cost is based not only on surface area, but also the depth of the water being treated. The association requested a $5,000 increase in next year’s proper assessment to help fund our objective. Below is the budget for Diamond’s 2022 curly-leaf pondweed treatment project:
2022 Sources of Funds
$60,000 Proceeds from County assessment of lakeshore owners
$10,000 Proceeds from the Kandiyohi County Water Task Force grant
$1,000 DLARA checking account
$71,000 Total Revenues
2022 Uses of Funds
$60,000 Application Cost (assumes an increase in chemical cost)
$6,000 Point-Intercept survey
$2,500 Admin fee to MFCRWD for administration
$2,500 Fee to Kandiyohi County for assessment costs
$71,000 Total Expenses
Non-AIS Report
by Eric Hohman, AIS Committee Chairman
To effectively battle the invasives, your Diamond Lake Board needs to also understand Diamond’s natural aquatic environment. According to the U of M, the DNR and Minnesota Public Radio, the hot, dry weather conditions heavily influenced the less than satisfactory water conditions at Minnesota lakes this year. The problems at Diamond weren’t just caused by
caused by 
native plants and organisms.
I believe most people realize that lake water quality in Minnesota improves as we travel north. In southern MN, clear/clean lakes are rare, but starting north of Highway 12 (Willmar to Mpls), lake water quality begins to noticeably to improve. It gets even better from Alexandria east to Pine City and by the time you are north of the line between Detroit Lakes and Duluth,
Plants and algae growth are primarily affected by three factors: sunlight, water temperature and nutrients available. Although sunlight is the same across the state, we all know temperatures and the days between “ice-out” & “ice-in” both go lower as you travel north toward the better water quality. I can’t speak for everyone (but likely for most cabin owners?) we chose Diamond for our slice of heaven over a northern lake because we consciously (or unconsciously!) want to
have a shorter commute and/or a longer summer. For me, I was willing to sacrifice some water
If you travel north in Minnesota you will see less corn, beans and cattle. An important nutrient needed for aquatic plants to grow is phosphorus. Agriculture runoff is a common source and is commonly named as the culprit. But I refuse to throw our friends in farming under the bus. They are not the only threats to water quality at Diamond Lake... we are too! Please consider
quality:
Properly operate and maintain septic systems, pump at least every 3 years.
Immediately repair or replace non-complying septic systems.
Develop and maintain a shoreline vegetation buffer.
Use zero-phosphorus lawn fertilizer or don’t use any.
Limit the use of pesticides and other garden chemicals.
Keep bonfires away from the lake and clean up all ash.
Use phosphorus free dishwasher detergents.
Clean up pet waste.
Cover loose soil areas with vegetation and remedy any shoreline erosion problems
Thank you for reading and I’ll see you on the lake! --EH
Winter Ice Cleaning Crew
by Tom Hayden
This past February, two DLARA board members, Tom Hayden and Mark Streed, plus over 20 Association members gathered to do a sweep around the lake to clean up. The day could not have gone any better. The snow was pretty much melted and the ice was thick enough to walk and drive vehicles across the entire lake.
The clean-up crew was surprised by the amount of debris found, especially since lake association members did several sweeps throughout the winter. The treasures found accumulated more than two truckloads. The treasures were a variety of beverage containers, plastic bags, general garbage, wood boards (probably used to support fish houses), and a laundry list of items that should have been removed from the lake by their owners.
As a reminder, the Lake Association pays for a garbage dumpster at each access and we would love for them to be filled up.This upcoming winter, we will schedule another cleanup day depending on ice conditions, snow depth, and weather. Thank you to the 20+ people that helped this past winter with our cleanup efforts.
DLARA President's Report
(Editor: We have met the scan and is it us?)
by Tim Groshens
It’s always a pleasure to serve as president of the lakeshore association. It’s just that it is a greater
For those of you that have contacted me and other members of the board about the algae, thank you for your comments and concerns. We understand that the scum is not conducive to the enjoyable use of
Some members have told me that this is the worst year ever for algae this year. It may be, but as far as I
Algae is not an invasive species like zebra mussels or curly pond leaf. It is home grown right here on the lake. A moderate amount of algae is natural to a lake like ours.
However, the hot weather along with the lack of rain combined with excess phosphorous to produce the terrible algae situation we have. We can’t do much about the weather, however we can and are reducing phosphorous.
At the annual meeting, I was reminded that when we purchased our lake house twenty years ago, there were still three or four farms on the lake where the cows wandered into the lake. All the houses around the lake were reliant on individual septic systems and many did not work properly. Homeowners regularly used phosphorous based fertilizers on their lawns and tossed any number of things into the lake. All of us have improved how we live and work and as a result, we greatly reduced the amount of phosphorous going into the lake.
One project that we still hope will result in a major reduction is the draw down of the Hubbard/Wheeler lakes. Studies showed that up to eighty percent of the phosphorous coming into the lake is from this source. The project is still a work in progress, but we should see a significant reduction in the future.
The Watershed District is also working with homeowners to provide information to each of us on what we can do to reduce phosphorous.
Each year, we treat up to fifteen percent of the literal area for curly pond leaf. Killing the weeds early in the year means there is less weeds that decompose and produce phosphorous.
Here is the message I would like to leave with all of you. Phosphorous levels are a problem. But we have and will continue to take steps to reduce phosphorous levels. We have seen some success and year over year, phosphorous levels have decreased. We need to continue our efforts and even increase our work. The lake we leave to the next generation will be better than the lake that was or the lake that is.
Missile Lane
What do you get when you combine the love of a pet with the clay hands of a potter? Why, Heather Meyers’s Muddy Paw Ceramics! It is returning to Diamond Lake on Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 6-7, 8-6, Monday, 8-noon. 6462 159th Street (~0.6 miles from the East Side Boat Landing on the east side of Diamond Lake). On Instagram @muddypawceramics.
New Flu , Nu Flew vaccines (the 2021 flu round, not the coronavirus vaccine) will be administered at the Atwater Community Center thru Homeland Health on Sept. 14 from 9:00-10:30. Please call 320 974-8737 to make an appointment. Bring your insurance card as the cost is likely covered by your insurer.
Doozies: added to the list of dues payers are the following Diamond Lake Beach of Famers: Phyllis Anderson; William & Catherine Bernard; Douglas Bishop & Denise Stabile; Diamond Lake Resort (Bob Schimerowski); Darvin & Becky Hauptli; Eric & Mona Hohman; Julie Kalkbrenner & Thomas Van Tassel; James & Amy Mammen; Ian O’Connell; Steve Sandven; Todd & Cori Stenberg, Wheeler’s Campground (Jeff & Millie Gertgen) – 309 Total; Best Ever
County Recycling
by Duane Anderson, County Commissioner
This past year has brought many challenges to ourCounty which has led to some creative ways of doing things. One of these changes is our recyclingcarts. We are finishing our first year of a 5 year contract with West Central Sanitation to pickup materials for recycling in Kandiyohi County. Recycling has become a necessary part of extendingour county landfill.
What happens to these materials once they are pickedup? They go to a single sort facility in Shakopee MN run by a company called Demcon. This isa fully mechanical facility that uses magnets and optical sorting technology. Renville, McLeod, and Redwood counties use the servicesof Demcon as well. Kandiyohi County was paying Demcon for this serviceuntil a few months ago, however due to higher prices for raw materials Demcon is currentlypaying us for our recycling material. If you have any questions regarding our county recyclingprogram or which materials are accepted for recycling you can look on the lid ofyour recycling cart, go towww.kcmn.us/recycle or call Kandiyohi county Recycling Manager Jay Bakerat (320)231-3587 and he would be happy to answer your questions.
