Proposal: Sunfish Lake Fish Advisory
Update of October 6, 2025: This page is populated with information about the subject proposal organized according to the format of the Proposal Submission form. The proposal is addressed to the 2025 RFP for funding from the Priority 2 Allocation of the 3M/MN PFAS Settlement due October 8, 2025. Please contact Tony Manzara if you have questions. 651-769-7001 cell, tony.manzara@sminc-lake-elmo.org
This page is organized according to the format of the Proposal Submission form, and contains, as directed, links to required supporting documentation and other information too large to fit the official format. This button is a link to a copy of the official Proposal PDF document :
Project Narrative, Project information: Title Sunfish Lake Fish Consumption Advisory
Proposing organization: Friends of Lake Elmo’s Sunfish Lake Park, contact Tony Manzara, tony.manzara@sminc-lake-elmo.org
Priority 2 Goal area: Recreational Fishing Related Projects
Project Description Part 1 (overview) This Project will determine the level of PFAS in the fish in Sunfish Lake, provide the basis for determining what fish advisory language is necessary, publish the information, and post signs for anglers. JUSTIFICATION FOR DOING THE WORK: Anglers need to know whether the fish caught in Sunfish Lake are safe to eat, or not. JUSTIFICATION FOR FUNDING FROM PRIORITY 2 ALLOTMENT: Sunfish Lake has been contaminated by PFAS, almost certainly originating from the closed Washington County Landfill, which is adjacent to Sunfish Lake park..
Project Description Part 2 (overview) activities and timeline
assume start July 2026
Get bids for the work from State-approved approved consultant organizations, award contract September 2026
Fish are collected and tested, report sent to State September 2028
Appropriate advisory language is is provided, signs are procured and posted October 2028
Advisory update round of collection, testing, and signage completed July 2031
Project Location: Link to map showing the location of Sunfish Lake in Lake Elmo MN: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sunfish+Lake+Park/@45.0012813,-92.9009658,2821m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x52b2cdaf4d9ee709:0xc1be5b10821396ee!8m2!3d45.0038396!4d-92.9104981!16s%2Fg%2F11gzfd527?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDkyNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
Project Scalability: With 50% of the requested funding, it should be possible to do the first collection and testing of two species, and establish a fish advisory for those species. With the entire amount requested, the updated testing and publication of revised fish advisory can be completed for better guidance in the future based on regulatory advances and possible changes in PFAS levels.
Project Collaborators:
City of Lake Elmo, Landowner, Lake Elmo Public Works Department, Land Manager
Indications / Letter of support is attached to the proposal and linked via the button at the bottom of this page. Submission of the Letter Of Intent for this Project was approved by the last three City Administrators. (Administrator Ms Handt, Interim Administrator Mr. Schroeder, and current Administrator Ms. Miller.)
EVALUATION CRITERIA
- Benefits to injured resources and services. This project would provide the benefit of clear direction about whether anglers and their families could safely eat fish caught in Sunfish Lake, or whether it should be designated as a “Catch and Release Only” fishing area. If the co-pending proposal for the Sunfish Lake Boardwalk is awarded, there will be better access to this lake, more people would be able to reach the lake to fish, and a science-based advisory would be more important. Sunfish Lake Park is covered by a Conservation Easement agreement between the City of Lake Elmo and the Minnesota Land Trust, prohibiting most development in this part of the park except for trails.
2. Cost Total estimated cost to complete this scope of work is $100,000. The initial round of collection, testing, etc. would cost about $44K. The proposed advisory update round, in the final year of the grant, would be expected to be more costly due to inflation.
We have received a cost estimate for the first round from Andrew Tarara at AECOM for the consultant work, including the cost of lab testing for PFAS. This company has previously (2020-2021) done the studies for fish consumption advisories in other PFAS contaminated lakes in the Lake Elmo area. The report of that work is accessible via the button below. The PFAS testing costs for water samples are $375 each (5 samples estimated), while the fish tissue samples are $456 each (17 samples estimated) based on SGS/AXYS Lab state contract rates. This is the same lab that conducted the previous analysis for the P1007 project. The lab costs are estimated at $9,627. Total estimated cost to complete this part of the scope of work is $43,667.35 and includes labor, lab, equipment, and other direct charges (mileage, per diem, travel).
3 Consistent with local, county, State and regional planning: Sunfish Lake Park is considered the “gem” of the Lake Elmo park system. With a rapidly increasing population, the establishment of the Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center in 2018, and particularly the more recent addition of bike trails (2021), the usage of this Park has increased at least 10-fold over the past few years. There appears to be no mention in existing local planning of creating a fish advisory for Sunfish Lake. Many visitors ask about fishing in the lake, but we have no basis to answer their question – can we eat the fish?
4 Benefits Multiple Municipalities While there is no official documentation of the domiciles of Sunfish Lake Park visitors, based on zip codes provided by those who sign up for our newsletter (1600 recipients), Sunfish Lake Park is utilized primarily by residents of the nearby communities – Lake Elmo, Stillwater, Oakdale, Woodbury, Maplewood, North St. Paul, and St. Paul east. Any angler from these areas would benefit from this project.
5 Minimizes Potential for Additional Wildlife Injury or fish consumption related human health risks: This study will not cause any PFAS-related harm to wildlife or human health, except to the fish which are caught to be tested. A benefit to human health would occur if the fish are found to be safe to eat, there are significant benefits to those who consume them (https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/fish/guidance/eatingfish.html)
Alternatively, if the study shows that the fish are too contaminated to be eaten, and the installed signage convinces the anglers not to eat them, that finding would also benefit human health.
6 Provides Self-sustaining Benefits: There would be little or no maintenance or management involved, unless the signs were vandalized and had to be replaced.
7 Minimizes Adverse Community Impacts: No adverse effects on human communities are expected.
8 Demonstrates Equity and Environmental Justice: Since low-income groups, and communities which traditionally eat locally-caught fish, are more likely to depend on caught fish as a source of protein, a science-based fish advisory would be of benefit to them. Particularly in the case of a “safe to eat limited meals” advisory, Sunfish Lake could be an appropriate local source of fish for those who cannot eat the fish from Lake Elmo. The locality of Sunfish Lake is not within the State’s defined environmental justice areas: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/bff19459422443d0816b632be0c25228/page/Page/?views=EJ-areas
9 Includes Community Engagement: The submission of the LOI for this proposal was discussed with City administration over the past three years and given the green light by each of the last three permanent and interim City Administrators (Ms. Handt, Mr. Schroeder, Ms. Miller). If the grant is awarded, the project will be publicized on the City’s website and in the Friend’s communications.
10 Provides Public Access: Sunfish Lake Park and the shoreline of Sunfish Lake within the park are owned by the City of Lake Elmo. Access to the park is free and open during daylight hours. If our co-pending proposal “Sunfish Lake Boardwalk” is awarded, there will be much better access and the fish consumption advisory information will be more important to provide. A new Lake Elmo City Park, Schiltgen Park, is being constructed on the Southeast shore of the lake due to a Parks Dedication land transfer from the North Star development. It should be possible to fish in Sunfish Lake from that park as well as from Sunfish Lake Park
11. Matching / Leveraged Funding: No current finding is available for a study for fish advisory for Sunfish Lake. The Friends of Lake Elmo’s Sunfish Lake Park would donate about 100 volunteer hours to administer the grant (in-kind donation) for such activities as obtaining bids, monitoring the progress, required reporting, etc.
Links provided to allow reviewers to have access to details, letters of support, etc:
Protocol for fish advisory testing : PFOS fish sampling outline for developing proposed project costs https://sminc-lake-elmo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/3M-P2-Grant-Fish-Sampling-Requirements-1.pdf
Data Quality Objectives process https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/p-eao2-14.pdf