FAIRMONT– In the year 2025 the city of Fairmont took some major steps in addressing issues and concerns with the Chain of Lakes and for the first time ever, those actions have been compiled into a report for the public to review.

Water Resources Coordinator, Hannah Neusch, said first and foremost she wanted the public to see what the city was doing regarding the lakes and water quality.

“I want them to be able to look at something that’s easily readable and understandable by a normal person who doesn’t read technical, scientific reports or wants to, or has the time to watch committee meetings,” she said.

The report, rather, Neusch said, highlights the things that the city has accomplished in 2025.

“Being a lake community, I think it’s really important to stay on that forefront of, ‘this is what we’re up to,’ so people know, not only that we care about it, but that we are moving in the right direction,” she said.

One of the biggest things that happened pertaining to the lakes in 2025 is that a Lakes Management Committee was formed and began meeting early in the year.

“It helps to have key stakeholders and interested public in the room because then we can get an idea on what people are thinking and what sort of support we’ll have for specific projects or vice versa, what’s not working and where can we put an investment of time and energy, if not into this project that we’ve already discussed,” Neusch said.

She said a certain amount of growth has happened with starting the Lakes Management Committee, but overall she believes it has been a good addition.

The report also includes information about Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP). The aquatic invasive species has been an issue for the past few years but last summer the city launched a free pick up program where a contractor went to properties to pick up and then properly dispose of CLP.

The report breaks down some data. In total 9.6 tons was removed from 234 households over the course of just two short months.

“Some of our restorations that we worked with the Soil and Water Conservation District on are highlighted,” Neusch said. “Our new prairie walks last year and how those went and what the goals were are included.”

The report includes some information about LakeFest, which was a new festival the city put on in conjunction with Imagine Martin last summer.

“It talks about how it all ties together- our lakes, our stormwater and then how people can help increase the water quality of our lakes on all of those fronts,” Neusch said.

Information about the Adopt a Drain program as well as the upcoming rain barrel and compost bin sale is also included in the report.

“The city council voted to expand our rain barrel sale to compost bins as well,” Neusch said. “It seems like there’s a decent amount of interest.”

This will be the first year the city is offering compost bins for sale. Neusch said both those and rain barrels are a small way to increase water quality by keeping leaves and sticks out of storm drains.

“Every little bit helps,” she said.

Some changes to the city’s ag leases are also included in the report. Neusch said that the city council had voted to approve reduced tillage practices, but only on a portion of the properties. Some more details on that, and the importance of the change, is in the report.

“I think people need to see that the city of Fairmont is making good, data-backed decisions about our water quality, even on our own property,” Neusch said.

Finally, there is information on the One Watershed One Plan and what it means for the lakes.

Neusch said there is a lot more that has been discussed that is not in the report, but that the items that have been discussed and addressed at length, and have had money and more effort put toward them, is what made it into the report.

“It creates a cohesiveness to what we want to do, which is cement ourselves as ‘our city is the city of lakes,'” Neusch said. “I think it’s really important that people who live in the city of lakes understand that we very deeply care about the city of lakes and I think this report reflects that.”

The plan moving forward it to put out a report every year that highlights what was addressed and accomplished the year before.

Neusch said the report should be available by early next week. It can be found on the city’s website at fairmont.org.