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MINUTES SAVAGE LAKE MEETING TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2008 7:30 P.M. An informational meeting was held on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at the Little Canada City Center beginning at 7:30 p.m. to discuss issues related to Savage Lake's water quality as well as water levels. The following presenters were in attendance: Ramsey /Washington Metro Watershed District City Engineer Public Works Superintendent Also present: Council Member Council Member City Administrator City Clerk Mr. Cliff Aichinger Mr. Lee Elfering Mr. Bill Dircks Ms. Barb Allan Mr. Mike McGraw Mr. Joel Hanson Ms. Kathy Glanzer Cliff Aichinger reported that one of the primary goals of the Ramsey - Washington Metro Watershed District (District) is to maintain or improve quality of surface waters to meet or exceed the water quality necessary to support the District's designated beneficial uses. Aichinger began with a brief history and background information related to Savage Lake. He showed several aerial photographs of the lake from 1940 through 2006 which depicted Savage Lake as an emerging wetland as well as the impact of the 35E freeway project which cut the lake in half as well as how development occurred around the lake. Aichinger reported that Savage Lake is actually a 27 -acre wetland. Therefore, it is considered a district - managed water body rather than a district- managed lake. The west side of Savage is 17.4 acres and the east side is 9.6 acres. The maximum depth on both sides of the lake is 6 feet. Aichinger reported that the normal level for Savage Lake was set by the DNR at 895.1 (set by the outlet at the northeast corner of the east basin). Aichinger described the characteristics of the 253 -acre Savage Lake watershed which is located south of Little Canada Road and east of Rice Street. This watershed discharges to Gervais Creek and is a part of the larger Gervais Lake watershed. Aichinger described the development within the Savage Lake watershed pointing out that institutional and low- density residential land uses are the major land uses. Low density development exists in 82.9% of the watershed, therefore, the amount of run -off into Savage Lake is fairly low and the amount of nutrients getting into Savage Lake also on the low side. Aichinger presented diagrams showing the depth of the water, the surrounding flood plain, surrounding land uses, and the general drainage area flowing into Savage Lake. Aichinger indicated that because Savage Lake is actually a wetland, the District has not assigned a recreational use category to the lake. It is not a public access water body. There is no beach 61