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Update as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 14, 2022:
Due to high winds, the clean up of Maple Lake is postponed until next week. The county will provide more information when it becomes available.
Previous story:
FORADA — The clean up of Maple Lake is scheduled to begin Tuesday, June 14 at 8 a.m.
Below are the details from the Douglas County Land and Resource Management Office. Materials that are in the water of the lake will be removed if it is feasible to do so with the equipment available. Materials/items will not be removed if they meet the following:
- The item or material is on land above the water.
- The item or material extends from land above the water (i.e.; dock, boat tied to shore, fallen tree).
- The item is clearly identifiable as belonging to an adjacent property owner or ownership of the item can be identified (watercraft number).
Debris will be removed from the lake by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Lake Service Provider crews and transported to the north Public Water Access on Maple Lake. At this access, dumpsters will be staged and the DNR and Douglas County staff will be accepting the materials and sorting them into the appropriate dumpsters. Materials will be sorted as follows:
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- Construction and demolition waste
- Mixed municipal waste
- Recyclable metals
- Reusable or reclaimed items (dock decking, whole items)
- Tree materials
As dumpsters fill, they will be hauled away and replaced. Tree and branches will be transported to the staging area at the Duininck Gravel Mine. Some items retrieved from the lake may also be recovered by property owners or reused, such as swim platforms, dock decking or other items. These items will be set aside for a short time to allow property owners to reclaim them prior to disposal.
Property owners should mark their property that is in the lake that they may intend to keep. Boats should be docked or tied to land, lifts and docks should either extend from their property or be tied to the property. It may also be helpful if property owners label large items that are theirs with a name or note "Do Not Remove" or "Not Refuse."
Residents and property owners in the Forada and Maple Lake area are asking that onlookers stay away from the area while the clean-up is in process. A post was made on the Forada Maple Lake Recovery Facebook page from someone who witnessed a distracted driver who was video recording the destruction and was driving on the wrong side of the road where the person's nephew was safely riding his scooter.
"It would be devastating to lose someone after all this, just because people are being careless," the person posted.
Non-essential people are being asked to just stay away.
