Your Community Awaits You

Lake Volney is a 268 acre spring-fed lake located in LeSueur County, Minnesota. Before the 1980’s, Lake Volney was a pristine lake used for swimming, boating and fishing. Changes in the Lake Volney watershed from the early 1980’s – development surrounding the lake and within the watershed – have caused increased runoff and silt/soil loading within the lake – all contributing to increased phosphate and nutrient loading that caused severe degradation to the water quality and clarity and significant occurrences of toxic algae blooms in the summer months.

 

In response to the severely contaminated waters, a group of concerned citizens formed the Lake Volney Association in 1984. LVA is an advocacy group comprised of lakeshore and watershed homeowners, residents and community citizens, partnering with County, State and Federal organizations, as well as land and homeowners within the watershed, to work together to clean and restore Lake Volney to its once healthy state.

 

Efforts to reduce phosphate and nutrient loading have occurred since the inception of LVA, but significant and continuous introduction of runoff resulted in Lake Volney being put on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agencies’ Impaired Waters list in 2002, which triggered a required Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study (water samples collected in 2009 and 2011). Based on sample data, an action plan was developed in partnership with LeSueur County Environmental Services office to reduce phosphate and nutrient loading (2014). As a result of these recommendations and actions (creation of a series of holding ponds to filter runoff prior to entering the lake), water quality and clarity has improved, but restoration work continues as the watershed, runoff and climate conditions change continuously.

 

In addition to partnering with the MPCA, DNR and LeSueur County Environmental Services on the TMDL study and actions, the LVA commissioned carp seiners to live catch carp beginning in 1988 and continuing for multiple years, reducing the carp population and minimizing silt/sediment stirring on the lake bottom. (Stirring sediment on the lake bottom releases phosphates and nutrients into the water.) In addition, the Lake Volney Association, through the generous funds collected from our membership, has partnered with LeSueur County and the MPCA to prevent aquatic invasive species from entering the lake. Through grants and matching member-provided dues, shoreline in critical fish habitat areas has been restored, and eroding shoreline areas have been restored. Also through private funds and matching LeSueur County grants, private shorelines have been restored with native plants. LVA has partnered with the Waterville Fisheries to improve the game fish population. LVA continues to partner with LeSueur County to manage the nine (9) holding ponds that filter pollutants from runoff prior to it entering the lake, supports the LeSueur County work to upgrade private septic systems around the lake, and identifies and helps to rectify problem areas that arise within our watershed. Advocating for and supporting good lake and land stewardship are the goals of Lake Volney Association so that current and future generations can enjoy the natural resources of Lake Volney.