Lake Vegetation Management Plan
Sunfish Lake, Dakota County - 19005000
Draft LVMP (No Signatures)
Final LVMP with Signatures (Variance Approved - see Section 8 & 9)
Date Signed: Click here to enter a date.
Expiration Date: Click here to enter a date.
Summary: This Lake Vegetation Management Plan (LVMP) is to meet the requirement in rule to develop an
LVMP for Sunfish Lake before April of 2014. This LVMP authorizes treatment to 15% of the littoral area of
Sunfish Lake (DOW# 19005000).
___________
Section 1: Lake Information
Name: Sunfish
County: Dakota
DOW Number: 19005000
Fisheries Area: East Metro
Classification: Recreational Development
Surface Area: 51 acres
Littoral Area: 38 acres
Maximum Depth: Click here to enter text.
Mean Depth: Click here to enter text.
Cooperator(s): Sunfish Lake Improvement Association, Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management
Organization (LMRWMO)
Section 2: Water Quality and Plant Community
A. Water Quality:
Table 1. Water quality measures observed in Sunfish Lake (19005000)
Water Quality Measures
Averages (June-Sept)
Observations
Monitored Years
Total Phosphorus [g per L]
45 ppb
60
2003-2012
Chlorophyll-a [g per L]
30 ppb
60
2003-2012
2.0 Meters
60
2003-2012
Secchi Depth [Meters]
Water quality measures exceed the Trophic State Index (TSI) range for lakes in same ecoregion.
Sunfish Lake was listed in 2009 under the impaired waters list of the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency (data available here:
http://cf.pca.state.mn.us/water/watershedweb/datasearch/waterUnit.cfm?WID=19-0050-00).
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B. Plant Community: (Narrative - describe plant community & refer to Table 2 below)
Aquatic plants are valuable for a number of ecological and biological functions including utilizing
nutrients that would otherwise be available to algae, stabilizing bottom sediments and shorelines,
providing shelter for a variety of game and non-game fish and aquatic insects, and providing food for
waterfowl and other wading birds.

Aquatic invasive plants present: curly-leaf pondweed (CLP)
The most recent aquatic plant survey for Sunfish Lake was completed in 2012 and 2013 by MnDNR and
followed the point intercept methodology developed by Madsen (1999). Aquatic plants were surveyed
at 109 points within the littoral zone of the lake (see Table 2 below). Curly-leaf pondweed was recorded
in the 2013 indicating 80% frequency of occurrence. However, although there was a high occurrence of
curly-leaf pondweed, it was only at nuisance levels in areas of the lake that were less than 5’ deep. Curly
leaf pondweed had died-back at the time of 2012 plant survey. Heavy growth of CLP was estimated to
cover 5.6 acres in 2013 (14% of littoral area). Refer to maps from 2013 (see Appendix) for more
information on nuisance level CLP. Leafy pondweed was the most abundant native plants.
Table 2: Percent Frequency of Aquatic Vegetation on Sunfish Lake (19005000)
Growth
form
Submersed
2012
2013
(Sept 17)
(May 29)
Potamogeton cripus
32
80
Leafy Pondweed
Potamogeton foliosus
51
64
Muskgrass
Chara spp.
19
14
Straight Leaf
Pondweed
Potamogeton
strictifolius
Potamogeton
zosteriformis
20
7
--
6
Common name
Scientific name
Curly-leaf pondweed
Flatstem Pondweed
Emergent
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Needle Rush
Eleocharis acicularis
2
1
Coontail
Ceratophyllum
demersum
3
--
Canada Waterweed
Elodea canadensis
2
--
Bulrush
Scripus spp.
--
1
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Sunfish Lake, Dakota County - 19005000
Section 3: Public Participation Process (Narrative)
There are approximately 30 shoreline landowners surrounding Sunfish Lake. Email and phone calls
were sent to the, Sunfish Lake Improvement Association, Lower Mississippi River Watershed
Management Organization (LMRWMO) and the City of Sunfish Lake explaining that the clause
allowing Lake Sunfish Lake to chemically treat a greater percentage of littoral area than the rest of the
lakes in Minnesota is set to expire in April of 2014. Before this clause expires, the DNR is partnering
with the Sunfish Lake Improvement Association and Lower Mississippi River Watershed Management
Organization (LMRWMO) to create this lake vegetation management plan. Several public input
meetings were held with lake residents hosted by the LMRWMO in 2013 to explain the TMDL process,
provide information on curly-leaf pondweed control and receive public comment. On December 5, 2013
a stakeholder meeting was held with lake residents and information on the Watershed Restoration and
Protection (WRAP) study was shared with a technical stakeholder group. Also the draft LVMP was
presented at this meeting. The LVMP was posted to the DNR's website on December 2, 2013. A notice
was put in a press release through the DNR on November 17, 2013 and a public notice was published in
South West Review newspaper on November 19, 2013. The plan was made available on the DNR
website, and a 30-day comments period start Dec. 2, 2013 and ended January 2, 2014.
Section 4: Problem Identification
1. Low abundance of native plants
2. Curly-leaf pondweed (CLP) surface matting
3. High concentration of phosphorous and subsequent algal blooms
Section 5: Goals & Measureable Objectives
A. Plant Management Goals & Measureable Objectives:
1. Increase native plant abundance and diversity
a. Native plant frequency and diversity shall be maintained/increase
2. Control CLP to reduce interference with recreational lake use
a. Reduction in annual delineated acres of CLP in spring
b. Reduction in annual delineated acres of CLP surface matting
B. Additional Management Goals & Measureable Objectives:
1. Increase water clarity
a. Water clarity as indicated by Secchi depth shall be maintained or increase
2. Reduce concentration of phosphorous (TP)
a. TP shall decrease (compared to 2012 data & ecoregion standard)
b. Phytoplankton, as indicated by Chlorophyll-a shall decrease
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Section 6: Proposed Management Actions (See Maps & Management Timeframe in Appendix)
A. Whole lake treatment:
Herbicide Control: Selective control of curly-leaf pondweed up to the 15% littoral limit.
The treatment area will be determined by early spring delineation and MNDNR inspection.
Narrative:
The 15% limit is a level of plant control the DNR has confidence in that will allow riparian owners
access to the lake while maintaining the basic functions and benefits that aquatic plants provide. Most
lakes never reach the 15% limit for chemical control of aquatic plants. A variance is required to remove
more than 15% of the littoral area and monitoring of the plant community and the water quality is
required to ensure that cumulative impacts of aquatic plant removal are not resulting in harm to the lake.
Cumulative loss of aquatic plants (especially when coupled with nutrient loading) can lead to drastic
ecological changes in lakes causing the lake to have low water clarity, become algae dominated with
little to no rooted aquatic plants.
Sunfish Lake will be limited to the 15% littoral limit unless nuisance levels of curly-leaf pondweed arise
and impede access and recreation. At that point, this Lake Vegetation Management Plan may be
amended with the agreement of all active partners of this document. Upon amendment and approval of
a variance, Sunfish Lake Improvement Association would be responsible for the required monitoring
and pre-treatment delineations as outlined in Section 8. Treatment areas will be based on pre-treatment
delineation submitted to the MNDNR as part of the permit application and verified by the MNDNR
through inspection of pre-treatment delineation and approved based on presence of CLP. Chemical
application will occur prior to the germination of native plants to specifically target curly-leaf
pondweed. If a variance is issued, treatments for native plant control on individual properties will be
reduced with the maximum area being no more than 50 feet wide, or half of the owner's frontage
whichever is less, by 50 feet lakeward plus a 15 foot wide channel to open water (if needed) to promote
the growth of native plants.
NOTE - The treatment protocol may change as new information becomes available. If the treatment
protocol changes the new treatment protocol and why it was changed will be added to the LVMP in the
appendix and those conditions will be incorporated into the APM permits.
B.
Individual Near-Shore Permit Standards:
Herbicide Control: Treatment of submerged plants up to100 feet or half the frontage whichever is
less by 100 feet lakeward
Narrative:
Permit standards for individual shorelines are in place to ensure each shoreline retains some aquatic
habitat. Near-shore habitat, which are the most frequent targets for control efforts by shoreline property
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owners, are particularly important as habitat for young or small fish, and have the greatest diversity of
non-game fish and amphibians. Having restrictions on the amount of shoreline individual properties can
treat, allows each property owner to have access to the lake while retaining some of the near-shore
habitat that is so critical for fish and wildlife.
If a variance is issued, removal of native submersed vegetation will be limited to only that area
necessary to allow reasonable use, with the maximum area being no more than 50 feet wide, or half of
the owner's frontage whichever is less, by 50 feet lakeward plus a 15 foot wide channel to open water
that may extend from the lakeward side of the 50 x 50 foot area. No removal of sparse native vegetation
through the use of chemicals will be permitted.
Any permit applications received from riparian landowners for control of native submersed plant after
the lake-wide treatment will be considered on an individual basis. Removal of native submersed
vegetation will be limited to only that area necessary to allow reasonable use. No removal of sparse
native vegetation will be permitted. Permit requests are subject to inspection and the aforementioned
limits are maximums allowed for native species control.
C. Alternative Methods Considered: (Description of pest management alternatives considered including
impacts to water quality, impact to non-target organisms, feasibility and cost effectiveness)
This section is required to meet the requirements of MNG87D000 Vegetative Pets and Algae Control
Pesticide General Permit, which was issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to meet
requirements of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System.
Target Pest:
Curly-leaf pondweed
No Action:
The result of no action would be impaired recreation through continued nuisance level surface matting
of CLP and could also result in transport of invasive plants to other water bodies. Curly-leaf pondweed
has the ability to compete with and displace the native plants and alter the native plant community. In
addition, no action could result in continued internal loading of phosphorous, due to CLP growth and
senescence, further contributing to poor water quality.
Prevention:
The MN DNR has an AIS Prevention program to stop the spread of invasive species. This includes
designating and posting signage on infested waters, enforcement of AIS laws, inspect and educate
boaters at water accesses, and decontaminate water equipment as needed.
Mechanical/Physical Methods:
Hand pulling of submersed vegetation is a control option. Hand pulling is work intensive and typically
is done in shallow water, less than five feet in depth around docks and beaches. Mechanical harvesting
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is another control option. In this case, these methods are considered to be infeasible due to high cost and
large amount of time required to employ these methods.
Cultural Methods:
These are manipulations of the habitat to increase pest mortality by making the habitat less suitable to
the pest. For example, one might dredge a lake to make it too deep for the pest, an invasive aquatic
plant, to obtain enough light to survive. Generally, such approaches are infeasible due to high cost and
potential to reduce the abundance of desirable native plants.
Biological Control Agents:
At present, there are no proven and acceptable biocontrol agents for curly-leaf pondweed.
Section 7: Variance Conditions & Approval (Check all that apply)
The commissioner may issue APM permits (and IAPM permits) with a variance from one or more of the
provisions of parts 6280.0250, subpart 4, and 6280.0350, except that no variance may be issued for part
6280.0250, subpart 4, items B and C. Variances may be issued to control invasive aquatic plants, protect or
improve aquatic resources, provide riparian access, or enhance recreational use on public waters (6280.1000,
subpart 1). Variance(s) and Justification(s):
Application of pesticides to control submerged vegetation in more than 15 percent of the
littoral area (M.R. 6280.0350, Subp. 4, A).
Waiver of dated signature requirement for invasive aquatic plant management permits
because collecting a signatures would create an undue burden (M.S. 103G.615, Subp. 3a (b)).
No required monitoring with current LVMP unless amended in future for a variance
Section 8: Required Monitoring with a Variance (See Table 3 below)
Table 3. Sunfish Lake (19005000) Monitoring Requirements if Variance is Amended to Plan
A
B
Annual monitoring
requirements
Pre-treatment
When?
Completed by whom?
Early spring with
SLIA or approved contractor other than the
delineation of curly-leaf
report/map provided to
commercial applicator for this project
pondweed (1)
the MnDNR
Whole-lake plant survey Mid-summer (Julyusing point intercept
September) with report
methodology (1)
provided to the MnDNR
SLIA or approved contractor other than the
commercial applicator for this project
by 31 December annually
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C
E
Observations of Secchi
Twice per month from
SLIA or approved contractor other than the
depth, Total
May 1st - September 30th
commercial applicator for this project
Phosphorous and
with report provided to
Chlorophyll-a
the MnDNR by 31
(multiple)
December annually
Post herbicide
Provided to the MnDNR
SLIA or approved contractor/commercial
treatment report (1)
by 31 December annually
applicator
Section 9: Signatures
This Lake Vegetation Management Plan is in effect for 5 years from date of Regional Fisheries approval. If the
plan is not renewed, then permits will be issued according to the standards listed in MR6280.
DNR Approval:
Submitted By: ___________________________
Title: __________________________________
Date: __________________________________
_________________________________________
Regional Fisheries Manager
______________________________________
Date
_________________________________________
Regional Ecological & Water Resources Manager
______________________________________
Date
I affirm that I am an authorized representative of Sunfish Lake, Dakota County and acknowledge participation
in the development and implementation of this lake vegetation management plan.
________________________________________
Cooperator’s Signature and Title
______________________________________
Date
________________________________________
Cooperator’s Signature and Title
______________________________________
Date
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Either party may terminate participation in this plan at any time, with or without cause, upon 30 days’ written
notice to the other party. If participation is terminated, permits will be issued according to standards listed
MR6280.
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Section 10: Appendix
Map 1: 2013 spring plant survey conducted by MNDNR (S. Sisler and K. Lund). 80% of all surveyed
points contained CLP as indicated by the red circles below.
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