Lake Alice levels drop as Fergus Falls prepares grit chamber project

Shoreline water at Lake Alice had dropped enough for Fergus Falls residents to notice, and city officials said the change was deliberate. Fergus Falls Public Works Director Len Taylor said the lower level was part of the plan for the upcoming grit chamber project, not an unexpected problem, as the city lowered the lake to help the contractor with constructability.

The short-term effect is already plain around the 39-acre prairie pothole lake in the heart of Fergus Falls: less water at the shoreline, more visible disruption, and a summer of work tied to a project meant to improve how the city handles runoff. The contractor has indicated an approximate start date of early to mid-summer, and the city said the drawdown was underway in May 2026.

The project centers on two grit chambers and three catch basins. Fergus Falls describes the grit chambers as sediment traps designed to intercept sediment and pollutants before they enter Lake Alice. The city says the work is intended to reduce phosphorus, E. coli and total suspended solids reaching the lake, which has long been affected by urban stormwater.

State project materials say stormwater enters Lake Alice through two major storm sewers and has contributed to excessive phosphorus, sediment loading, cyanobacteria and fecal coliform. Fergus Falls says its storm sewers also drain directly into the Otter Tail River, Wright Lake, Hoot Lake and other local waters, and that it has operated a stormwater utility since 1997 to pay for maintenance and improvements.

The project is backed by a $500,000 Outdoor Heritage Fund allocation through Minnesota’s Legacy program. State project records and city materials describe it as a first phase in a longer effort to remediate Lake Alice and reduce the pollutants that flow into it untreated.

Lake Alice has carried civic weight in Fergus Falls for more than a century and a half. A historical marker says it has been a leading attraction since the city was first settled in the late 1860s, and one lap around the lake is 1.2 miles. The marker also recalls the lake’s former life as a place for rowing, skating, boating, regattas, a floating bandstand and a steamer launch.

A separate water-quality pilot using WQ3D technology has been operating on Lake Alice during summer months since 2023. Together, the projects signal a broader effort to steady the lake’s condition, protect nearby infrastructure and improve water quality for the long run.