The Lake Restoration Committee and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) may have reached a temporary compromise concerning aeration on Albert Lea Lake, but even if a permit is granted, it will be weeks before an aerator can be put in place.

Tuesday, January 23, 2001

The Lake Restoration Committee and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) may have reached a temporary compromise concerning aeration on Albert Lea Lake, but even if a permit is granted, it will be weeks before an aerator can be put in place.

Based on recommendations from the DNR, the Albert Lea Lake Restoration Committee has submitted a request for a temporary aeration permit for winter 2001.

&uot;What we’re attempting to accomplish is a temporary solution,&uot; said Dick Hoffman, Freeborn County environmental health coordinator.

The aerator would be placed in the channel between Fountain and Albert Lea lakes and turned on only if the channel area starts to freeze.

Most winters, the channel remains open and acts as a fish refuge, said Rick Nelson, DNR fisheries specialist, in a letter to Freeborn County.

The permitting process takes two to four weeks, and must include a public comment period, but there is little danger of a fish kill in the near future, Nelson said. DNR testing indicated &uot;excellent&uot; oxygen levels in the lake last week.

&uot;So much depends on the weather that we are receiving, if we continue to find open water from the dam to the channel,&uot; Hoffman said. &uot;At this point we have open water from the dam to the Front Street bridge.&uot;

DNR fisheries staff will monitor the lake and collect data for future aeration considerations, which should be part of a comprehensive lake management plan developed with other involved groups, Nelson said.

The Lake Restoration Committee will continue to work toward a permanent solution, including researching types of aeration and different sites, and eventually seek a permanent permit, Hoffman said.