The BWA Report analyzes related water quality monitoring activities to develop a baseline for future action, provide a context in which the Blue Water Association can make priorities, and evaluate progress in order to advocate for change when needed.

The full report is available at the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA) website (www.nokomiseast.org) and looks at a variety of data including:

• General Characteristics of the Lakes
• Beach Bacteria Levels
• Lake Waters Clarity
• Lake Fertility or Trophic State Index
• Lake Levels and Dam Fluctuations
• Area Activities Affecting Lakes
• Fisheries Update
• Minnehaha Creek Report
• History of the BWA and the Blue Water Commission

The report is being issued as the Izaak Walton League tours the three new Lake Nokomis wetland ponds during its annual national meeting being held in Minneapolis this week. The ponds and new weir at Minnehaha Creek and the lake were constructed based on recommendations that grew out of a comprehensive 1998 Blue Water Commission (BWC) Report and Recommendations that evaluated pollution problems on the two lakes and presented solutions.

The BWC included Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA), Standish Ericsson Neighborhood Association (SENA) and Hale Page Diamond Lake Neighborhood Association (HPDL), plus the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD).

BWA partners in the subsequent water quality improvement project included the Cities of Minneapolis and Richfield, Hennepin County, Metro Airports Commission (MAC), Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and environmental groups. BWC research was guided by a technical advisory committee of water quality engineers.

“We hope our first annual findings about these popular lakes will provide a foundation for future research and encourage all citizens, public officials and members of the BWA to continue its good works in improving these south Minneapolis water resources,” notes Pam Blixt, BWA Board Member and NENA resident. “The report provides a good framework for understanding the health of the lakes’ water quality as the summer recreational season begins-–and as visiting members from the Izaak Walton League return to their cities with the facts about what the BWA has accomplished in a few short years to upgrade our neighborhood environment and to protect our water resources.”

Read the Report online

For more information, please contact Pam Blixt at 612-724-2484.

About the BWA

The Blue Water Association is a non-profit organization, established in 2002 to focus on monitoring and improving the water quality in Lakes Hiawatha and Nokomis in Minneapolis. Its actions are guided by the Blue Water Commission’s Report and Recommendations, published in May 1998. BWA Board Members include residents of NENA, SENA and HPDL neighborhoods, as well as residents of other nearby neighborhoods and the MCWD, MPRB 5^th District Commissioner Carol Kummer, and the City of Minneapolis 12^th Ward Council Member Sandy Colvin Roy.

The BWA hopes to make all impacted residents and agencies partners in the water quality improvement process, step by step, with neighborhood funding that can be used to leverage additional dollars necessary to accomplish its goals.

Blue Water Association
3000 East 50th Street,
Minneapolis, MN 55417