FAIRMONT– The Chain of Lakes in Fairmont was the focal point of a work session Tuesday night between the Fairmont City Council, city staff and Martin Soil and Water Conservation District. Specifically, city-owned agriculture land was discussed.

Hannah Neusch, a water resources technician with the city, started the session by giving an overview of city-owned ag land and potential restoration of farmland and changes to future farmland leases.

Neusch said that there is a significant amount– more than 480 acres– of cropland which is being rented out and actively farmed, which is why the city is looking to reevaluate the lease agreements.

“What Jesse (Walters) and I have been discussing are potential native plantings on some of these acres… incorporating cover crops into the lease agreements and then reducing tillage in the lease agreements as well,” Neusch said.

She went on to list some of the benefits of implementing the changes, which include increased water quality, reduced sedimentation and reduced nutrient load.

“Nutrients being phosphorous and nitrogen,” Neusch clarified. “Excess nutrients can cause excessive algae blooms and can also feed invasive aquatic plants. Pondweed has been in discussion a lot lately. It’s not going to stop pondweed from growing, but it will reduce the amount of available nitrogen for such a thing to grow.”

Neusch also pointed out that Fairmont sources its drinking water from the lakes and that one added benefit to the potential implemented changes is that there could be lower costs associated with treating the water.

Finally, Neusch shared that the reevaluation of the leases is supported by the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

“It does say that partnering with Martin Soil and Water Conservation District and continuing to work with them on projects like this would be necessary… when practices change,” Neusch said.

Next, Walters, who is an outreach coordinator with Martin Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), said that his group is often asked what can be done to clean the lakes up and that there are many different answers to that.

“It’s not just agriculture, it’s not just the city. Lakes are a cumulative effort of an entire watershed,” Walters said.

He said that he mainly looked at two fields in the Fairmont Chain of Lakes Watershed, which include Cedar Creek Farm, which is west to Hall Lake and covers 85 acres, and a small portion of the Day Farm, which covers two acres.

“It’s good timing on the ask because we have two different grants to try to do projects to improve water quality by reducing nutrients and reducing the amount of sediment in water ways,” Walters said.

He said one of the most efficient ways to reduce erosion and thus sediment in the waterways, is to plant native prairies.

Walters had looked into some costs and shared that one of the grants would cover up to $20,000 to convert ag land over to prairie. He said the seed cost would be around $17,000 for over 80 acres and with the cost of paying SWCD to seed it, the total amount would come in at about $20,000.

Beyond planting, Walters said the prairie would need to be mowed, but not for awhile as it takes some time for them to take root. He said that SWCD does not provide that service but that he knows of a local contractor who could do it for under $3,500.

Walters said that there were other conservation options, such as different field practices that would have a lesser impact on nutrients and water quality, that he could look into if instructed by council.

Council Member Wayne Hasek asked for clarification on the land and Neusch said that it was city-owned land leased out to farmers.

City Administrator Matt Skaret pointed out that the leases are ending with the conclusion of 2024 so that now would be a good time to implement some changes if desired.

Council Member Britney Kawecki said that with Fairmont being the “city of lakes,” if residents are being asked to help keep them clean, the city surely needs to, too.

“I think we need to weigh whether our lakes are a priority or whether rent is a priority. I feel like for us, the lakes should be a priority because the lakes bring in a lot of revenue for the city of Fairmont whereas the rent isn’t that important and there’s ways to offset the rent,” Kawecki said.

She asked Walters to explain what no till means and how reimbursement for those with ag land works. Walters said that keeping soil covered reduces erosion. He also pointed out that why ag land is being looked at is because it’s a bigger portion of the watershed.

“That’s why you see so much focus on ag land– one field of 85 acres versus one person’s yard is a big difference,” he said.

Walters said that more farmers are looking into cover crops voluntarily because it improves water quality. He again reiterated that they have funds available to help with it, too.

Council Member Michele Miller thanked both Neusch and Walters for coming to explain the ideas and the benefits with the council.

“I think this is a no-brainer. Rent aside, I think it’s an important thing to do for our lakes if we move forward with this,” Miller said.

Council Member Randy Lubenow said that he has heard conflicting information regarding how good the condition of the lakes in Fairmont are.

“What is the solution or the answer? Do we need to remove sediment from some of the intakes?” he asked.

Neusch said, “What we’re looking at here is only one part of the puzzle… we have aquatic invasive species, nutrient loading, sediment issues, but we have to take one step. We can’t take all the steps at once.”

She said that when looking at a watershed-wide plan, environmental concerns need to be addressed piece-by-piece

“These native plantings and reconfiguring lease agreements are the first step in the right direction,” Neusch said.

She said if problems upstream aren’t fixed first, the other problems will become greater and more expensive.

“We’ll have to keep bandaging the issue until we can address it,” Neusch said.

Walters also chimed in on the question of lake health by confirming that different people will say different things.

“The most consistent source, the (Minnesota) Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), does a full study on our lakes and a series of water quality testing and sampling… and in general the Fairmont lakes from 10 years ago are slightly better but they’re not pristine. There are some concerns primarily concerns of sediment and excess nutrients,” Walters said.

After about an hour of discussion. Mayor Lee Baarts began wrapping up the meeting and Kawecki asked what the next steps were.

“I would like to see us look into the no till after the combine season and before the spring ground is filled and planted,” Kawecki said.

As it was a work session, no official action could be taken but council members expressed a desire to have the 87 acres planted with native prairies.

Skaret said the issue will be put on a future council meeting agenda for further discussion.