Watersheds
Watersheds in the City of Gem Lake
Gem Lake’s City boundaries overlaps with two watersheds that help manage local surface waters and promote water quality improvements. These include:
- The Vadnais Lake Area Water Management Organization (VLAWMO) www.vlawmo.org
- Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District (RWMWD) www.rwmwd.org
Gem Lake
| Surface Area | 40 acres |
| Average Depth | 7 ft |
| Volume | 183 acre-ft |
| Subcatchment Area | 363 acres |
| Location | Gem Lake |
Gem Lake is a unique sub-watershed basin within the VLAWMO watershed. While most of the VLAWMO watershed drains into East Vadnais Lake, water falling in the Gem Lake subwatershed stays in the area and drains into Gem Lake. The southern end of Gem Lake is wetland while the north end reaches a depth of up to 14 feet.
Sitting in the southeast corner of VLAWMO, Gem Lake is a unique basin within the Watershed. The Gem Lake subwatershed does not drain outside of its boundary, therefore, none of the water falling in the Gem Lake subwatershed leaves the area, and does not drain to any other area within VLAWMO. The south end of the lake is wetland while the north gets as deep as 14 feet and exhibits deep lake characteristics.
The lake is surrounded by private property and has no public access. Water monitoring has been performed on the lake since 2005. Water quality has increased by a good margin since 2009, showing a decrease in nutrients in the water column and an increase in water clarity. It has not confirmed by a formal water study, but it is likely that a renovation of a bioswale along Highway 61 played a part in Gem Lake’s improvement.
As of 2018, Gem Lake was formally de-listed from the Minnesota state impaired waters list. Click here for the announcement that contains more info and a map of the bioswale location.
Watershed Resources
Both of the watersheds in the City of Gem Lake have programs and resources to support homeowners with property improvements that help support the surrounding watershed.
- VLAWMO:
- RWMWD:
Wetland Buffers
A buffer is a protective zone surrounding a wetland, pond, stream, or lake where plants are allowed to grow. Buffers consisting of native plants are preferred due to their ability to provide deep roots and more surface cover along shorelines and banks. This reduces erosion keeps nutrients on land where they belong, improves habitat, and supports a stable water table. Keeping sediment and nutrients on land and out of the water helps prevent algae blooms and supports wetland function, including their connection to groundwater. Click here for more information on wetland buffers.
Yardwaste and Illicit Discharge
Illicit discharge is the disposal or discharge of pollutants and non-storm water materials into a storm drain system via surface flow, direct dumping into the storm sewer or water body, or through illegal connections to the stormdrain system.
Grass clippings, leaves, and other yardwaste and debris may seem natural and innocent, but should never be disposed in ditches, wetlands, or banks and downslopes leading to waterbodies. Small amounts of yard debris can be composted in designated home compost piles. Plan ahead to dispose of yardwaste through a curbside hauler service or transport it to a Ramsey County Compost Facility.
Acceptable Discharges and Disposal Guide: Ramsey County
For additional information on illicit discharge see the resources below: