HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026 August Lake Edina POI Survey Report2026 Lake Edina (DOW: 27002900, Hennepin County)
Aquatic Vegetation Point Intercept Survey Report
8/13/2026
An aquatic vegetation point intercept survey was completed in Lake Edina on 8/13/2026 for the City
of Edina. The point intercept survey consisted of 100 points. The purpose of the survey was to
inventory aquatic vegetation species during the summer growing season in August. At each site
depth was recorded and vegetation was sampled with a double-sided rake. For every species
sampled, an abundance rating was assigned based on how much was sampled on the rake. The
ratings are as follows:
0. Plant species absent
1. Plant species covers <25% of the rake
2. Plant species covers 25-75% of the rake
3. Plant species covers >75% of the rake
This rating scale was taken out of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Guidance for
Delineating Aquatic Plants for Management.
6 species of vegetation were sampled during the survey in August 2026 with the most abundance
species being Elodea canadensis (76%), followed by northern watermilfoil (49%). Curlyleaf
pondweed was not sampled during the August survey. See table 1 for full species list.
Table 1. 2026 August Lake Edina aquatic vegetation species list, frequency of occurrence, and average rake abundance
Species # of
Sites
Frequency of Occurrence
(%)
Average Rake
Abundance Figure #
Coontail 21 21 1.6 Figure 6
Northern Watermilfoil 49 49 1.2 Figure 4
Leafy Pondweed 12 12 1.1 Figure 7
Elodea canadensis 76 76 2.4 Figure 3
Sago Pondweed 2 2 2.0 Figure 5
White Waterlily 1 1 1.0 Not mapped
Survey metrics were used to calculate Index of Biological Integrity scores for vegetation richness
and fioristic quality index. Lake Edina met the shallow lake state standard for richness; however, it
did not meet the state standard for fioristic quality index (Table 2).
Table 2. 2026 survey IBI metric results compared to the state standard
Metric 2026 June Lake Edina
Score
2026 August Lake
Edina Score
Shallow Lake
Standard
Richness 13 6 11
Floristic Quality Index 17.20 11.43 17.8
Below is a series of maps of Lake Edina site richness (Figure 1), overall site abundance (Figure 2),
and individual plant species distribution and abundance. Submerged and large fioating species are
mapped. Small fioating and emergent species were not mapped.
Discussion
Richness decreased signiflcantly from 13 species in June to 6 in August. It could be related to the
poor water quality observed in Lake Edina (suspected) or it could be related to plant species life
history.
Figure 1. August 2026 Lake Edina Site Richness. Minimum richness was 0 (1 sites) and maximum richness was 3.
Figure 2. August 2026 Lake Edina Overall Site Abundance.
Figure 3: August 2026 Lake Edina Elodea canadensis distribution and abundance
Figure 4: August 2026 Lake Edina northern watermilfoil distribution and abundance
Figure 5: August 2026 Lake Edina sago pondweed distribution and abundance
Figure 6: August 2026 Lake Edina coontail distribution and abundance
Figure 7: August 2026 Lake Edina leafy pondweed distribution and abundance