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University of Minnesota proposes drought‑tolerant turf research plot at Lake Elmo water tower; council to consider access agreement and limited irrigation for 2
Summary
A University of Minnesota researcher proposed a small research plot at the new Lake Elmo water tower to test and demonstrate low‑input drought‑tolerant turfgrass mixtures. Staff and the council signaled support for a follow‑up access agreement and agreed to consider a temporary watering exemption to establish the plots.
The University of Minnesota asked the Lake Elmo City Council on May 20 for permission to establish a multi‑species, low‑input turfgrass research plot at the new water tower site to test mixtures designed to reduce residential irrigation needs.
Gary Deters, lawn and water conservation educator at the University of Minnesota, described a three‑year plan to install demonstration plots using combinations of tall fescue, fine fescue and other adapted cultivars, and said the effort is part of a Metropolitan Council‑funded initiative to make drought‑tolerant seed mixtures easier for homeowners to find and use. The project envisions working with seed vendors and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) so vendors can stock approved cultivars and cities can point homeowners to local suppliers.
Deters said the key experimental constraint is establishment: new seeded turf requires frequent, short irrigation cycles during germination and early root growth. The city’s current watering restrictions allow hand watering and limited new‑sod exceptions, but Deters asked the council to authorize a temporary establishment watering schedule beyond the city’s two‑days‑per‑week limit so the plots could be reliably established and produce research data. He proposed multiple short watering events per day for roughly two weeks during establishment and said standard WaterSense‑rated rotors and a rain sensor would be used. He added that once the grasses are established, the plots would not be irrigated for research purposes.
Council members and staff indicated general support for the research and for returning with a formal access agreement that the city attorney would review. Public Works Director Marty said the water‑tower parcel would be a feasible and visible location and that the plot size proposed (roughly 3,000–3,600 sq ft) would not impose ongoing maintenance burdens. The council suggested signage and a landing page to explain the research to residents.
What happens next: staff will draft an access agreement and return the item for council approval; the council indicated it would consider a temporary, narrowly scoped watering exception for plot establishment if legal and staff review supports it.
Clarifying details: proposed plot size was roughly 3,000–3,600 square feet; initial irrigation schedule proposed multiple short irrigation events per day to ensure seed germination, with researchers proposing to stop irrigation after establishment and to collect data in years two and three.
