Lake Alice Water Quality Projects
Lake Alice is a vital part of Fergus Falls' recreational and environmental landscape. The City of Fergus Falls, together with partners, is actively working to improve the health of Lake Alice through multiple innovative efforts.
Lake Alice Grit Chamber Project
As part of the City’s efforts to improve water quality in Lake Alice, Fergus Falls is constructing two grit chambers (sediment traps) and replacing three catch basins in the city’s stormwater system. These improvements are designed to intercept and remove sediment and pollutants before they can enter the lake.
With funding from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, this project is a critical first phase of long-term lake remediation. Grit chambers- precast concrete structures- use internal baffles to slow water and allow sediment to settle. By removing this material regularly, the city can reduce phosphorus, E. coli, and total suspended solids from entering the lake.
Benefits of this project include:
As part of the City’s efforts to improve water quality in Lake Alice, Fergus Falls is constructing two grit chambers (sediment traps) and replacing three catch basins in the city’s stormwater system. These improvements are designed to intercept and remove sediment and pollutants before they can enter the lake.
With funding from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, this project is a critical first phase of long-term lake remediation. Grit chambers- precast concrete structures- use internal baffles to slow water and allow sediment to settle. By removing this material regularly, the city can reduce phosphorus, E. coli, and total suspended solids from entering the lake.
Benefits of this project include:
- Preventing sediment and phosphorus pollution at the source
- Supporting native habitat restoration in this prairie pothole lake
- Helping Lake Alice meet its Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) targets under the Clean Water Act
- Improving lake aesthetics
Construction is planned for late Summer or Fall of 2025. Once installed, these features will become part of the City’s long-term stormwater maintenance program.
Water Quality 3D Lake Alice Pilot Project
“Lake Alice in Fergus Falls is part of a two-year pilot project approved by the Minnesota State Legislature, and according to the data coming in now over the last summer, the transformation is astounding.”
- Fergus Falls Journal / October 18, 2023
The WQ3D water treatment system has been operational on Lake Alice during the summer months since 2023. The State of Minnesota authorized and funded the project under a two-year demonstration pilot project to improve water quality on the lake. WQ3D is testing a unique and innovative nonchemical water treatment technology that is mitigating, managing, and controlling some of the state’s most troublesome water impairments. WQ3D uses a patented water aeration technology that works to restore oxygen balance, improve water quality and reduce odor. There’s a box under the water aerating Lake Alice, while a buoy on top of the water has monitoring technology that transmits the water quality data in real time to the cloud. Several small marker buoys serve as location references for testing water samples throughout the year.
“Lake Alice in Fergus Falls is part of a two-year pilot project approved by the Minnesota State Legislature, and according to the data coming in now over the last summer, the transformation is astounding.”
- Fergus Falls Journal / October 18, 2023
The WQ3D water treatment system has been operational on Lake Alice during the summer months since 2023. The State of Minnesota authorized and funded the project under a two-year demonstration pilot project to improve water quality on the lake. WQ3D is testing a unique and innovative nonchemical water treatment technology that is mitigating, managing, and controlling some of the state’s most troublesome water impairments. WQ3D uses a patented water aeration technology that works to restore oxygen balance, improve water quality and reduce odor. There’s a box under the water aerating Lake Alice, while a buoy on top of the water has monitoring technology that transmits the water quality data in real time to the cloud. Several small marker buoys serve as location references for testing water samples throughout the year.
Read the End-of-Season Summary Report from November 2024.
Live in the Lake Alice neighborhood? Take the neighborhood survey.
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