Cedar Lake-Lake of the Isles Master Plan Creating a 20-year vision for Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles and surrounding parkland

What is an encroachment?

“Encroachment” is the term used when Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) property is used for a non-MPRB use.

Some encroachments have permits, which are revocable, and some encroachments are not permitted.

Where are there encroachments on MPRB land?

Hundreds of encroachments occur across the park system. They are most common when private property owners share a property line with park land.

Encroachments take many forms and vary in impact to park use. The vast majority are necessary for people to access their property from park land, like a walkway leading from a public sidewalk to private residence.

When does the MPRB address encroachments?

The MPRB has not made it a priority to address every encroachment on park land. Many encroachments are minor and have existed for decades to provide residential access. The MPRB does not address these encroachments under current procedures.

A comprehensive process to address the hundreds of encroachments on park land – the vast majority with minor or negligible impacts to public park use – would be extremely time consuming.

Currently the MPRB addresses encroachments when construction occurs on them:

• When the MPRB performs park improvement projects, like repairing or building park amenities.
• When a neighboring property owner performs property improvements that substantially affect an encroachment.

The MPRB considers three factors when determining enforcement:

• Does the encroachment impact park safety?
• Does it restrict public recreation?
• Does it have environmental impacts, either ecological or viewshed?

How does the MPRB address encroachments?

The property owner encroaching on MPRB land must pay a fee and acquire a permit, which is subject to approval by MPRB Commissioners. Construction may be halted until property owners are compliant.

How do encroachments factor into MPRB master plans?

As part of data collected for every master plan, the MPRB commissions an ALTA survey in areas where encroachments may be occurring.

Encroachments are identified in every master plan. In many cases, they are minor and don’t impact the master plan. However, it is a valid topic for discussion during the master planning process if there’s significant public interest. Master plans may provide guidance for managing encroachments but may not require immediate action.

Where are there encroachments in the Cedar-Isles Master Plan project area?

Many encroachments have been identified along Lake of the Isles Parkway, where nearly every property owner has an encroachment for an access walk or driveway. They’ve also been identified along the Kenilworth Channel and southeast Cedar Lake shoreline.

Please call the SWLRT Construction Hotline at 612-373-3933 for any specific concerns regarding SWLRT construction.

How will Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT) be considered within the Cedar-Isles Master Plan?

Making decisions without influence: To help ensure the Cedar-Isles Master Plan does not have SWLRT bias in decision-making, the MPRB did not invite the Met Council to sit on the Technical Advisory Committee and do not anticipate asking SWLRT project staff to play any review or recommending role. The MPRB recognizes there may be short-term construction or long-term impacts from the SWLRT project and plan to stay in touch with the SWLRT project team as needed to ensure there are no unintended negative outcomes to park land.

Historic Preservation Plan: The MPRB also plans to complete a historic preservation study for portions of park land near the SWLRT. This is part of the required mitigation associated with the SWLRT project. To ensure this planning is done in the interest of the MPRB, the MPRB will complete and fund this work rather than work collaboratively with the Met Council and SWLRT. The MPRB will stay in communication with the Met Council and SWLRT project team members as needed as the historic preservation work is completed.

Planning for increased access to park land and ridership projections: MPRB staff understands projections from both the City of Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan and SWLRT projections anticipate increased traffic and people coming to this area. The MPRB anticipates that the master plan discussions will include how to plan for SWLRT impacts to park land.

Is the MPRB creating the Cedar-Isles Master Plan in response to the SWLRT project?

No. This is the last part of the MPRB regional park system that does not have an adopted master plan. To have a fully master planned system, the Cedar Lake-Lake of the Isles area needs to go through a community-vetted master plan process. Without it, the MPRB is unable to receive regional funding for capital improvements in these park areas.

How has MPRB addressed SWLRT’s potential impact on park land?

MPRB weighed in during the development of the SWLRT Environmental Impact Statement, which outlines the plan for how SWLRT will address environmental impacts. Concerns about whether SWLRT is meeting their mitigation requirements should be directed to the SWLRT project office.

How is SWLRT construction impacting water quality at Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles?

Cedar Lake is part of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD). The MPRB works collaboratively with MCWD, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other government entities to address water quality concerns at the watershed level. SWLRT is one of many projects and impacts to water quality that the lakes within the watershed face and will likely have minimal impact compared to other factors, such as untreated stormwater, road salt and runoff from private properties.

MPRB water quality staff test the water twice a month to compare and analyze water quality. Some physical measurements are immediately available; chemistry analysis is performed by a local lab and is typically available within the next month or so. Phyto- and zooplankton information is typically only sent out 1-2 times per year, and can take several months to receive results. See the MPRB Lake Water Resources page for up-to-date information.

Is the MPRB addressing erosion control due to SWLRT construction?

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are the government entities responsible for overseeing and monitoring erosion control during the SWLRT project. If you see erosion issues related to SWLRT, call The Construction Project Hotline at 612-373-3933.

How will the master plan address potential long-term SWLRT impacts, such as noise, vibrations environmental impacts?

MPRB staff will review the Environmental Impact Statement and bring projections to community conversations to discuss when and how to address mitigation through the master plan.

What are “remnant lands”?

Remnant lands are remaining leftover or unused land after a development project. The remnant lands referred to in this FAQ are related to the SWLRT project.

Who currently owns the remnant land?

The land is currently owned by Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority (HCRRA)

What agreements currently exist about the future of ownership of the remnant lands?

A: Currently, there is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Met Council and City of Minneapolis addressing lands in the corridor that will not be used for rail or freight. View the unexecuted version of the MOU.

Informal conversations have happened between HCRRA and MPRB and it has been agreed that since no transfer of land would occur before the start of revenue operations on the Green Line extension, both parties have time to deal with a transfer or conveyance in 2021 or 2022.

Additionally, the Met Council Kenilworth Station Art and Landscape Committee also recommended that excess land in the Kenilworth corridor be directed to MPRB in their final recommendations to the Met Council, which the MPRB Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to accept in 2015.

However, there is no formal agreement with HCRRA to date that states that MPRB will be able to take ownership of this land.

How does the remnant land conversation fit into the Cedar-Isles Master Plan since it’s located outside of the master plan area?

In other master planning efforts, the MPRB has considered non-MPRB land by making general recommendations about it, whether it’s a park search area or specific sites that are identified as future park land. The MPRB anticipates that an outcome from the community engagement may give direction about future acquisition of this land by the MPRB.

How does the MPRB measure water quality at Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles?

MPRB water quality staff test the water twice per month to compare and analyze water quality. Some physical measurements are immediately available; chemistry analysis is performed by a local lab and is typically available in the next month or so. Phyto- and zooplankton information is typically only sent out 1-2 times per year and can take several months to receive results. Results are looked at annually and compared with previous years in order to see trends. This information is used to create MPRB’s Water Resources Report.

MPRB staff also uses an index called the Lake Aesthetic and User Recreation Index (LAURI) to rate the lakes. This index measures aesthetics, water clarity, public health, habitat quality and recreational access to assess health of our lakes. In 2019, Lake of the Isles scored ‘Excellent’ in aesthetics, ‘Habitat Quality’, and ‘Recreational Access’. The lake scored ‘Good’ in water clarity. Since Lake of the Isles does not have a swimming beach, a score was not calculated for public health. Cedar Lake scored ‘Excellent’ in public health, habitat quality and recreational access, ‘Good’ in aesthetics, and ‘Poor’ in water clarity.

What do the lakes’ annual water quality reports tell us?

Lake of the Isles and Cedar Lake are very different from each other, both in terms of ecosystems and function. Both have a long history of man-made intervention that includes dredging, elimination of wetlands, addition of stormwater and restoration activities. Their histories also mean there is a long-term need for management to support the health of both lakes.

Lake of the Isles was originally a wetland that was dredged to form a lake. Due to this intervention, the lake is shallower and has rich sediment on the bottom. This sediment provides an increased food for algae.

Cedar Lake was originally a lake but was also dredged to allow boat access and likely eliminate wetlands. This dredging changed the physical structure of the lake in ways that effect its ecology even today. Much life in lakes forms in the littoral zone, the area at the edge of a lake where light can penetrate to the bottom. Much plant, microbial, and animal life uses this zone. The littoral zone in Cedar Lake was likely eliminated by dredging to inhibit plant growth and make boating easier. Despite this alteration, Cedar Lake has hosted a relatively diverse native aquatic plant community for many years.

What has been done in recent history to improve and protect water quality at Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles?

The MPRB works with partners to help improve water quality at both lakes. In the late 1990s, The Clean Water Partnership was formed between St. Louis Park the City of Minneapolis, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) and MPRB to collaborate on mitigation and improvements to water quality within MCWD. To date, more than $25 million has been spent to improve water quality through this partnership.

Bde Maka Ska and Lake Harriet experienced more dramatic improvements due to this project than Lake of the Isles or Cedar Lake. Some of the work done at Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles had a lifespan that may be over. Also, work started earlier at Cedar and Isles and the techniques used were different, so these lakes may not have benefitted as much from the improvements compared to what was done later.

Lake of the Isles is the only shallow lake that had restoration and the fact that it is shallow affects what can be done and how the lake responds. Shallow lakes have two alternative stable states – one is plant-filled with clear water, and one is plant-free with murky water.

What are some natural occurrences that happen regularly at Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles?

Due to increased precipitation due to a changing climate, water quality specialists anticipate that we will see a change to natural occurrences these lakes experience.

• Algae balls: A scientific paper from the 1930s described algae balls at Cedar Lake. In some years MPRB staff have observed this same phenomenon at Cedar, but not at other lakes. The balls are black or black/green and are golf ball- to softball-sized and appear in spring.
• Algae blooms: Algae is natural and occurs in all lakes. Algae blooms can form due to natural causes, like hot weather after wind mixing, but can be exacerbated by increased nutrient inputs due to stormwater runoff. Most restoration projects are done to reduce the nutrient inputs to lakes that cause algae blooms.
• Fish kills: Fish die-off can be natural after a harsh winter and occur in the Chain of Lakes occasionally. A common fish disease called columnaris disease often strikes in spring and leads to kills in panfish. Natural fish kills are not typically severe enough to change the structure of the lakes.
• Plant growth: Aquatic plants can be more or less prevalent due to low or high water levels. In some years, poor water clarity inhibits plant growth. Harsh winters tend to favor native aquatic plants. In Cedar Lake, staff observe more white-stemmed pondweed after cold winters with thick ice cover.
• Fluctuations in water clarity: In most lakes, spring (May-June) offers the clearest water when zooplankton growth is high and the dominant algae are silica-shelled diatoms. Later in summer, water warms up, storms can mix nutrient rich deep water to the surface, and the algae community switches to green and blue green algae. These types of algae result in lower water clarity. Cool water in fall brings back clearer water as well.
• Aquatic plant interference: Curly leaf pondweed is an invasive plant species that grows in dense stands at Lake of the Isles. This plant reaches the surface in late June and can make paddling difficult. Eurasian water milfoil, another invasive species, can be a nuisance later in the year. Its red, nontraditional flowers stick out of the surface of the lake.