2008 RLAA General Activities

December 22 - Rice Lake monitoring recognized by the DNR as 2 seperate bays (East Bay is the main portion of the lake; West Bay is the area west of I-94 bridge where Elm Creek enters).

December 14 - Added Lake Monitoring page (find on left under 'Site Links')

November 23 - Ice is in on the entire lake, but it is not yet determined to be safe enough to walk on.

November 13 - New page (RLAA Agendas and Meetings page) added to this site.

November 9, 2008 - New page (Rice Lake Media Page) added to this site.

October 25, 2008 - Navigational buoy removed off Stonehenge Island for the season.

October 9, 2008 - RLAA welcomes Shadow Creek-area residents to association - Several RLAA board members met with residents to reintroduce them to the lake association. Many residents are new to the area over the past several years and were not part of the membership database. The board learned that these residents have different lake-related needs than those on the east side of I-94. Efforts are being made to organize those concerns within the association so action may be taken to improve those conditions (e.g.: Heavy weed growth; shallow channels; shoreline erosion; wildlife preservation; and more).

September 28, 2008 - RLAA requests endorsement from State Legislature for Iron Filings Treatment for Curlyleaf Pondweed - RLAA files endorsement request to State Sen. Warren Limmer to support LCCMR request for funding to conduct further research on Iron Filings treatment for Curlyleaf Pondweed (click here for that request).

September 19, 2008 - RLAA endorses request to LCCMR for State of Minnesota to provide funding for iron filings treatment as a means for treating Curlyleaf Pondweed. Benefits for phosphorous reduction may also be realized by this treatment.

September 12, 2008 - Local Cable Ch. 12 runs story about Rice Lake condition and association needs during newscast. Click here for the link to that story, which is the 4th one on the newscast.

September 3, 2008 - Local Osseo-Maple Grove Press runs story about Rice Lake and it's current condition and needs. Click here for the article.

Rice Lake Newsbrief - The RLAA produced a 4-page newsbrief to remind our members and residents of what we are doing and how you can help us get there. (Click here for a copy of the newsbrief)

August 30, 2008 - Weeds to the west of I-94 bridge have since diminished since reported navigation problems on Sept 15. Area should be safe to travel at this time, although there is still heavy weed growth in the area.

August 28, 2008 - Added new page (Rice Lake History) to this site.

August 18-21, 2008 - Fish Survey conducted on Rice Lake. Details with photos of the survey will be published as soon as they become available. Stay tuned for details.

August 15, 2008 - Navigation severely impeded to the west of both I-94 bridges on Rice Lake due to heavy weed growth. Please use caution when entering those areas.

RLAA Board Meeting Minutes from 8-10-08

Board held meeting on Rice Lake to discuss association financial situation and ability to afford a whole lake algae treatment. Concensus was we cannot afford it at this time, with monies already committed to other projects. (Click here for meeting minutes)

July 31, 2008 - Barley Straw bags placed in each of the 2 stormwater ponds on the east side of Rice Lake. Objective is to reduce the amount of nutrients which empties into the lake, leading to algae blooms.

July 25, 2008 - RLAA Board of Directors decided against pursing an algae treatment since the cost for treatment will exceed the funds we have available. If you know of a neighbor who should be paying their dues and are not, please encourage them to contribute. We need to increase our dues-paying membership to battle challenges like algae.

July 20, 2008 - Floating blue-green algae is starting to show along shorelines and in bays/creek this past week. RLAA Board will look into possible treatment.

May 4, 2008 - Navigational Buoy placed over Stonehenge Island for the season. Current depth is about 2.5 feet minimum in the area.

May 6, 2008 - RLAA Annual Meeting took place at Angeno's restaurant in Maple Grove. Meeting minutes can be accessed through this link RLAA Meeting Minutes.

April 5, 2008 - Numerous dead fish have been located on the western side of the lake this past week, as the ice breaks apart. The DNR Fisheries department suspects they died due to the low levels of oxygen from the effects of a harsh winter (early ice with snow cover). Majority of those affected appear to be sunnies, crappies, and carp, although some northerns and bass were also sited.

March 2008 - Metal "dampers" were placed on the Rice Lake side of the culverts which connect to Fish Lake. These were recently installed by the City of Maple Grove with the intention of helping stabilize the Fish Lake water levels after significant rain events (since Rice Lake receives so much more input from the watershed, it's waters backwash into Fish Lake on occassion. These "dampers" will be used to help control those exceptional rain events for the Fish Lake residents.

Winter Fish Kill observed in early April 2008

Reports of dead fish were received beginning April 3rd as the ice breaks up. Most of these are located on the southwestern corner near the inlet from Fish Lake under the I-94 bridge. Most of the dead appear to be sunnies and crappies, although carp and other species were also observed. The local DNR Fisheries office suspects the deaths were due to low oxygen levels in the lake during the winter, which is not uncommon for shallow lake like Rice Lake during a long winter.

Rice Lake Applications for City Funding via Lake Quality Commission (for Budget Year 2008)

- February 20, 2008 - The following projects were presented to the LQC by RLAA representative George Schneider at the

monthly LQC meeting:

Projects Approved by LQC

Aquatic Plant Survey - Total Cost = $3,000; Requested funding = $2,000

Fish Survey - Total Cost = $5,000; Requested funding = $3,000

Sediment Nutrient Release Study - Total Cost = $3,000; Requested funding = $2,000

Monitor Sediment in Storm Water Ponds - Total Cost = $1,000; Requested funding = $500

Preventative Algae Treatment (Barley Straw) in limited area - Total Cost = $2,500; Requested funding = $1,500

Algae Treatment with Copper Sulfate (if necessary) - Total Cost = $8,200; Requested funding = $3,200