Well, dam!

BY DEANNA BOSS

Park Commissioner Steffanie Musich’s response to the woes of my flooded basement from last month’s article was that we need to plant more native grasses and flowers with stronger root systems to better manage storm water.
Then, she wrote:
“The elevation of Lake Nokomis is controlled by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD). They determine when the weir (an adjustable dam) can be lowered. This does not happen immediately after a rain event because the surge in the creek takes a few days to subside to a point where creek elevation is lower than the lake level. The weir was installed to prevent the waters of Minnehaha Creek from entering Lake Nokomis. This separation keeps Aquatic Invasive Species, bacteria (like e.coli, Giardia, Crypto) and pollutants in the creek from contaminating Lake Nokomis and has resulted in lower bacteria counts at Nokomis’ beaches, keeping them open throughout the summer, unlike Hiawatha’s beach which is frequently closed because of high bacterial counts.”
So in addition to trying to find out who is responsible in the Park Board, the Minneapolis Sewer and Water Department and the Minneapolis City Council, I can now add the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. I’m sure the DNR definitely has a role too. Five government entities – zero responsibility.
The weir was initially installed in 2000, the same year the three holding ponds were established at Nokomis.  There was a very clear focus – to maintain and promote high water quality at Nokomis and Hiawatha.
Residents and visitors don’t want E. coli in Lake Nokomis. Nor do we want Zebra mussels. The problem though is that we don’t want flooded parks or wet basements either. While it’s easy to show the benefit of these holding ponds on managing storm water and its impact on the lake, what surveys or studies were done to determine how creating these acres of wetlands would impact nearby homes and parks – just yards away? Who has the information that can help homeowners? Who will advocate for solutions? So far it seems like a bureaucratic shell game that has one government agency sending me to another. The person who I would think would be most concerned with this issue, my city council member, John Quincy, has yet to even reply to a single email message that I’ve sent him.  His assistant did tell me to contact Steffanie Musich.
If the weir is lowered and some water released from Lake Nokomis would it help? Above is a photo from MPRB’s Facebook page posted on April 4, 2016. Notice the caption mentions releasing water from Lake Nokomis if the levels are too high. It seems logical but I have no one to tell me definitively and no one wants to take responsibility. Some players in this game are elected and others are appointed or hired. One thing is consistent though – these people represent us and our interests. They all benefit from our input and tax dollars. They are in positions to work together to present answers, address concerns and create solutions. I hope they can figure this out before our homes and parks are all under water.
We are conducting an informal survey at bit.ly/NokomisHiawathaFlooding.