Mille Lacs Lake Clean up the Lake Project
This is phase one of a three phase project to remove litter from every mile of the sub-surface 82-mile shoreline of Mille Lacs Lake by use of scuba divers. This first phase is considered the pilot research phase. It’s important for the project success to get under the surface of both the lake, and the issue. The goal is to understand what the submerged litter issues look like in the lake, are there excessive tire dumps going on, invasive species problems, and/or clarity issues. This pilot research allows Clean up the Cayes to document the issues and make recommendations for remediation that would occur in Phase 2 and beyond.
Mille Lacs Lake is a large shallow lake located in north central Minnesota and is heavily used for fishing during the winter, ice fishing season. In past years, as ice fishermen leave the lake, bags of trash and human waste are left behind on the ice. In recent years, with the advent of RV style icehouses, the trash and human waste problem has reached epic proportions. This problem is not isolated to Mille Lacs Lake, unfortunately, this is a state-wide issue.