With the annual Pine-Cedar Lakes Association membership drive, there was a note asking if there were questions on lake water levels.   The following are questions received and response from Mark Anderson (DNR hydrologist):

According to Mark Anderson on September 27, 2019:
The average recorded water level is as it sounds, an average of all recorded water level data.  The DNR started recording water levels for Pine Lake in 1994 and Cedar Lake in 1998. 

Cedar Lake

Ordinary High Water (OHW) – 1209.33’

Current (9/27/19) water level – 1209.78’ (The basin is currently above the OHW by 5.4”)

Average recorded water levels – 1209.28’

Highest recorded water level – 1210.18’ (08/17/1999)

Pine Lake

Ordinary High Water (OHW) – 1245.10’

Current (9/27/19) water level – 1245.33’ (The basin is currently above the OHW by 2.76”)

Average recorded water levels – 1244.21’

Highest recorded water level – 1245.41’ (05/26/2019)

General water level questions:

1.       Thank you for the data you reported last September. What are the current levels for Pine and Cedar? I measured Pine Lake on 07/02/2020 and it was at 1245.04.  I have not measured Cedar Lake, but will try to get out there this week to get a reading.  The most current reading was 1209.26 on 06/22/2020

2.       Are there are OHW for Long Lake? There is no established OHW for Long Lake at this point.

3.       Any guidance for lake shore owners concerned about high water levels and erosion?  My first thought is a combination of rip-rap and native shoreland vegetation.  Typically rip-rap does not require a permit from the DNR, however it would require a permit from Morrison County.  I have attached some shoreline fact sheets. 

4.       What were some of the lowest recorded water levels for Pine and Cedar lakes? When was that? For Pine Lake 1242.58 on 08/18/1994 – For Cedar Lake 1208.26 on 10/01/2012

Here are a few Pine Lake Questions:

1.       Was the road at entrance to public access ever lower than now and water, when high, ran over?   This may be back in the 50’s to 60’s or earlier.  There is no evidence of overtopping of the road.  I know various individuals have stated there was an outlet culvert by the public access.  If there was a culvert there it was an “equalization culvert” to connect the two wetland complexes on each road.  Attached is aerial photography going back to the 1930’s and there is not visual evidence of this area ever acting as an outlet to Pine Lake.

The official OHW survey for Pine Lake was done in 1986, and they identified the norther route as the outlet for Pine Lake. 

2.       If the water flows north, what is route to get to Swan River?   Are there any blockages (like plugged culverts, beaver dams) on route?  Once water flows through Long Lake it travels via small streams and wetland complexes.  From there it can deposit into County Ditch 13 and County Ditch 8 which deposits to the Swan River. 

I do not know about blockages, my guess would be there are most likely some restrictions given the marshy nature of the outlet.  Perfect for beaver activity.

3.       Before roads were built around the lake on the southwest and southeast side, what direction did water flow out of Pine Lake?   Like in the 1800’s.  Unknown.  Given the aerial information I sent there is a lack of any evidence (channel) that water ever flowed to the southeast.  (see aerial link below)

4.       If water does not go down, what are options to manage lake level?  There might be an option of temporary pumping of up to 50 million gallons.  However, this is a one-time permit and a long term solution would be more challenging. 

Changing of an outlet is a time consuming and costly endeavor.   So, if there is a desire to lower the existing culvert, be prepared for a multi-year process and the costs associated with the permitting process. 

A centerline “equalization” culvert could be re-installed along the township road, with the Township approval.  This culvert would have to be set above the OHW of Pine Lake.

Here are a couple Cedar Lake Questions:

1.             How much lower is the current Culvert in the south east corner of Cedar Lake after the road reconstruction project than the previous Culvert was? If I recall correctly the culvert was inadvertently dropped approximately 5”.  This was corrected by installing a weir to match the previous elevation.

2.             Could somebody do soil and water testing on Cedar Lake to determine how much chloride is in the water/soil and then we could use that as baseline information when testing in the future, as they continue to put chloride on the road each year and that eventually some of it leeches and/or gets sprayed into Cedar Lake? The chloride water/soil tests would need to specifically be done along the South Shore adjacent to the road in the soil and along the South Shore in the water, since the chloride bonds to soil and other particles and stays there for ever and does not leech away.  This would be a question for MPCA, it might be something the Lake Association would like to take on.   Abaca Road (CR19) runs a distance of approximately ½ mile along the southern boundary of Cedar Lake.  This is significantly less than the basins in the metropolitan area where road infrastructure is considerably more.  I suspect the impact to Cedar Lake to be negligible. 

Questions gathered from Facebook:

1.             Is there algae on Pine Lake known to be toxic to humans or pets at this time?  Not that I am aware of.  I have not heard of any blue-green algae issues on either of these basins.

2.             Is it possible to have DNR monitor our public access so our waters remain free of invasive species? Are any other lakes doing that and how?  I would direct you to Adam Doll, he is the watercraft inspector coordinator.  His information can be found here:  https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/watercraft_inspect/index.html

The following link are a series of aerial pictures that are referenced in Mark Anderson's comments for the area by the Pine Lake public access.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C2BGxFOa2FLnsASt-4oVEQwHa95LVsAb/view?usp=sharing

The following links are articles from Mark Anderson related to shoreline issues.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yw7YskwL8b1JmmuqUn6KZrQbFJYNzPrW/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zo6hxUC_LlOLpe_aYmkEPBEHpuIh0ocL/view?usp=sharing

The following link is a mapping system that can be searched to find the Pine Lake and Cedar Lake areas.   It allows you to see elevations.   If you scan the map you can look at areas over a large distance.

http://arcgis.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/mntopo/