BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Administrator be authorized to negotiate the following grant agreements to provide funding for aquatic invasive species prevention projects during a one-year period beginning on the date of execution:

• PR00003107 with Lake Minnetonka Conservation District, with the amount not to exceed $26,000;
• PR00003106 with Wayzata Sailing, with the amount not to exceed $25,000;
• PR00003113 with Weaver Lake Conservation Association, with the amount not to exceed $10,000;
• PR00003110 with Lake Minnetonka Association, with the amount not to exceed $5,000;
• PR00003111 with Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, with the amount not to exceed $7,600;
• PR00003108 with Fortin Consulting, Inc, with the amount not to exceed $20,000;
• PR00003109 with Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission, with the amount not to exceed $10,000;
• PR00003105 with WaterGuards LLC, with the amount not to exceed $20,000; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that following review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, the County Administrator be authorized to sign the agreements on behalf of the county; that the County Administrator be authorized to approve a one 12-month extension of the agreements; that costs incurred by the grantees after the board approval date be eligible for reimbursement upon execution of the agreements; and that the Controller be authorized to disburse funds as directed.

History: Aquatic invasive species (AIS), such as zebra mussels and Eurasian watermilfoil, threaten natural resources and can cause economic, environmental, and human health risks. Lakes throughout the county have been negatively impacted by AIS or are highly vulnerable to the introduction of new AIS. Preventing the introduction of AIS is critical because often no remedy is available after AIS becomes established in a water body.

The State of Minnesota started allocating funding to counties in 2014 to prevent the introduction or limit the spread of AIS. Counties may use the funding for their own projects or programs, or may provide funding to other entities in the county. The Hennepin County Board designated oversight of the AIS Prevention Aid program to the County Administrator and delegated to the County Administrator the responsibility to prepare and implement guidelines for use of aid received for the prevention of AIS (Resolution 14-0438).

In the fall 2020, the county released its seventh request for project proposals that prevent the introduction or limit the spread of AIS. Local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and academic institutions were eligible to apply.  

The request for proposals was promoted through city, watersheds, and other natural resource partners, mailing lists, and the Environment and Energy Department’s e-newsletter, Green Notes. The county received 19 project proposals requesting a total of $390,802.

The requests were reviewed and recommended by a committee of seven including county staff from Environment and Energy and Purchasing and Contract Services. The grant applications recommended for awards were projects that focus on preventing the spread of AIS with reasonable and measurable outcomes. Successful applicants clearly described the need for the funding and demonstrated the capacity and commitment to implement the proposed projects and comply with grant administration requirements. 

Since 2015, the state has provided Hennepin County approximately $315,000 annually totaling $1,818,633 in AIS prevention funding. The county uses this funding to support projects that: 

• Assess the risk of different pathways and introduction into our waters;
• Broaden knowledge, participation, and surveys for early detection; 
• Empower the public and provide tools to prevent the spread; 
• Support and pilot research in prevention;
• Increase watercraft inspections and decontamination facilities; and 
• Increase public awareness, education, and participation.  

In addition to making grant awards through the annual request for proposals, Environment and Energy uses this funding to:

• Support AIS inspection programs operated by Three Rivers Park District, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and the Christmas Lake Association (the only lake association in the county that operates a watercraft inspection program);
• Work with partners to install infrastructure at public water access points that encourage AIS prevention behaviors; and
• Undertake additional projects as necessary to ensure that programming addresses all important AIS transmission pathways.

Current Request: This request is to authorize the County Administrator to negotiate eight agreements to provide funding for Aquatic Invasive Species prevention projects with the following organizations.

• Lake Minnetonka Conservation District (LMCD) - $26,000. The project will re-design Grays Bay public access on Lake Minnetonka with an emphasis on AIS prevention. Two areas will be designated for boaters to Clean, Drain, Dry, & Dispose (CD3) as necessary for their watercraft. Modeled from successful past access re-design projects, two CD3 stations will be installed creating a social norm and providing the tools for the public. The LMCD is providing $20,000 in-kind funding towards this project.
• Wayzata Sailing - $25,000. The project will design, create, and display long lasting art awareness on Lake Minnetonka. The five unique sets of sails, highlighting AIS issues, will be unveiled at Wayzata Art Experience and will remain in use with Wayzata Sailing regular programming. The school will contract with an art educator focused on Indigenous culture and practices in the development of the art.
• Weaver Lake Conservation Association - $10,000. This innovative project will pilot the use of a HydroSweep, a device that keeps water moving to reduce the floating vegetation around the public access, and thereby preventing it from attaching to the boat/trailer. This public access is quite weedy and has a high boater vegetation violation rate. In-kind infrastructure and time for this project has been provided by the association and the City of Plymouth. University of Minnesota graduate students will help assess a baseline and measure effectiveness of this technology for access AIS prevention.
• Lake Minnetonka Association - $5,000. The project will conduct a comprehensive lake survey for the Starry Stonewort plant. This species is new to Hennepin County and currently only known to be in Medicine Lake. This early detection project will survey more than 1,700 locations.
• Nine Mile Creek Watershed District (NMCWD) - $7,600. This project will continue year two of a goldfish assessment in the Lake Cornelia system in Edina. The small goldfish commonly purchased as pets become a problem when people release the fish into a pond or lake when they no longer want them. In the wild, goldfish grow very large and outcompete native fish for food and ultimately upset the lake ecosystem. This funding will be used for technology to monitor movement patterns of goldfish. The NMCWD is providing $40,720 of in-kind funding towards this project.
• Fortin Consulting, Inc- $20,000. This project is unique in Minnesota and assesses boater behavior when access inspectors are not present. It is a continuation from 2017-2019 baseline observational measurements. The project will observe a total of six accesses of varying sizes. Half of the selected accesses have been redesigned with an emphasis on AIS prevention.
• Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission - $10,000. This project will design, fabricate, and install new AIS signage for fishing piers, carry-in access sites and some smaller boat launches in the watershed. This will include locations within the cities of Golden Valley, Plymouth, and St. Louis Park.
• WaterGuards LLC - $20,000. This program will provide randomized countywide watercraft inspections and focus on boater education services. The program will focus on locations or times where access inspection is not provided by other programs. 

The request is also for the approval to reimburse costs incurred by the grantees after the board approval date and upon execution of the grant agreements.

Impact/Outcomes: The recommended projects will prevent and slow the spread of AIS by using emerging technologies, supporting research into AIS pathways, expanding and randomizing watercraft inspections, redesigning high priority public accesses, and providing education within each project.

The grantees will be required to collect data and submit final reports specific to project goals. This includes information such as the number of people reached, the number of boats inspected or decontaminated, pictures of the final products in use, or the conclusions for the specific project. The information and results from these projects will be used by county staff and shared with other water resource professionals to support and develop future AIS prevention work.