Premier Lake Harvesting, LLC is presenting results from Phase 1 curly leaf pondweed removal and will discuss options for a Phase 2 harvesting/removal program at the June 8, 2026 council meeting. City staff are also drafting a Lakes Management Plan and participating in the Blue Earth River One Watershed One Plan to prioritize future water quality best management practices. Council will be asked to consider moving ahead with additional weed harvesting work, but no contract terms or vendors for Phase 2 are yet approved in this agenda. This is commercially important because the City has just increased its monthly lake restoration fee from $1 to $4, creating roughly $225,000 per year in dedicated funding for lake restoration projects that could include mechanical harvesting, herbicide treatments, monitoring, engineering, and related services. Vendors in aquatic vegetation control, lake management planning, monitoring, and grant-funded water quality projects can engage now to shape the scope, demonstrate outcomes from similar lakes, and align with the emerging Lakes Management Plan and watershed plan priorities.

Water quality work is supported by increased utility-based lake restoration fee and expected use of ...