Lake Minnetonka ready for boaters

One of Minnesota's most popular lakes is ready for boaters.

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Department's water patrol took a spin around the 14,500-acre Lake Minnetonka and found all channels and bays are navigable. The ice-out notice from the sheriff's department Sunday comes 19 days earlier than last year and nine days earlier than average.

Last year, the lake reached record high levels. The Lake Minnetonka Conservation District took the unprecedented step of imposing no-wake speed restrictions for the entire lake that lasted until late July.

This year water levels are lower than normal on many lakes.

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