Fee changes for lakeshore owners

Residents around Bass Lake in Plymouth are concerned about proposed changes to the way fees are assessed to lakeshore property owners when the Department of Natural Resources inspects the lake.

The 100-member Bass Lake Improvement Association has been paying a group rate of $750 twice a year for the DNR lake management permit, but pressure from the Legislature to recoup the entire cost of the inspections would eliminate the group rate and increase individual fees from $35 to $90 per household.

Rep. Sarah Anderson (R-Plymouth) sponsors HF972, which would keep the group rate in effect until the Legislature approves otherwise. She said the DNR would spend much more time and incur many more costs associated with inspecting each household’s lake management plan. The association currently pays $20,000 annually for professional services to remove weeds and aquatic invasive species through chemical application.

In addition, removing the group rate may result in individuals inappropriately applying too many or too few chemicals to manage their lakeshore.

Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul) suggested adding a penalty and enforcement portion to the bill, but Anderson said she prefers giving the group rate as an incentive for using the correct management practice. She said the chemicals used are pre-approved by the DNR, and she suggested the agency provide lake associations with a list of approved applicators.

Hansen said legislators could make the active ingredient in the pesticide a regulated product, which would then require the person applying the chemicals to be a certified pesticide applicator.

Association President Jim Prom said residents eat the fish caught from the lake and would be concerned whether too many chemicals were being introduced by individual property applications.

The bill was laid over March 14 for possible inclusion in the House Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee. It has no Senate companion.