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Overview The Minnehaha Creek Preserve officially opened in July 2015, marking a major step in the renaissance of the iconic waterway and one of the largest urban stream restorations in Twin Cities history. The Preserve features 2,200 feet of boardwalk and 4,600 feet of paved trail around a restored stretch of Minnehaha Creek between Meadowbrook […]

Overview After studying the degradation and poor water quality of Jennings Bay, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District identified seven construction areas to increase storage capacity of Painter Creek and reduce nutrient discharge into Jennings Bay. In 1985, MCWD constructed outlet structures at Lake Katrina, Pond 937, and Painter Marsh; installed two sediment basins as South Katrina Marsh […]

Overview The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD), in partnership with the City of Wayzata, the Gleason Lake Improvement Association, and the Gleason North Shore Home Owners Association, worked together to develop a strategy to address water quality and flooding issues and implemented a series of improvement projects within the Gleason Lake subwatershed. The projects were […]

Overview In 2008, MCWD restored a wetland adjacent to Painter Creek. This wetland restoration project involved excavating a new channel meander to direct flows from Painter Creek across the wetland to improve nutrient removal. To allow the new channel meander to function, an existing weir was also lowered, and a new weir was installed near […]

Overview In the 1990s, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) oversaw the construction of wet detention basins, an alum treatment, and the enhancement of existing sedimentation basins to reduce the annual load of nutrients and sediments delivered to Long Lake. Two ponds were built to reduce the annual loading of nutrients and sediment delivered to Long […]

Overview In 2001, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) partnered with the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) to install wetland settling ponds to treat nutrients before they flow into Lake Nokomis. MCWD and MPRB also partnered to install an inflatable weir at the outlet of Lake Nokomis at Minnehaha […]

Overview MCWD coordinated with the City of Edina and concerned citizens to create a strategy for restoring Pamela Lake and improving water quality in Minnehaha Creek. Pamela Park, a 64-acre city park located in Edina, is home to Pamela Lake and a protected wetland that discharges into Minnehaha Creek. Ultimately MCWD and the City of […]

Overview In an effort to reduce phosphorous levels and improve water quality in Steiger Lake, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) restored a partially drained wetland in Victoria. Now, the wetland is a natural stormwater treatment system for a 250-acre drainage area, and reconnects that water to small ponds throughout the restored area. To ensure […]

Overview In 2012, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) renovated the existing weir at Lake Nokomis. The renovation changed the weir from an inflatable to an adjustable fixed design, a more rigorous and reliable structure that protects the water quality of Lake Nokomis and prevents the introduction […]

Overview As part of a comprehensive effort to restore Minnehaha Creek, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) worked with 16 Edina homeowners to restore approximately 2,000 feet of shoreline with native plants along a residential stretch of Minnehaha Creek. The project transformed the creek’s appearance and the new plantings prevent erosion, catch and filter polluted […]

Overview The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, with the aid of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Clean Water Partnership (CWP), took on an extensive seven-year initiative to improve water quality throughout the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes. The result was a series of award-winning water quality improvement strategies implemented in some of the Twin Cities’ most- used […]

Overview Building on the success of the Big Island Restoration project, which stabilized shoreline at Orono’s Big Island Park, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) partnered with Three Rivers Park District to restore approximately 1,200 feet of shoreline on Park District land on the north side of Big Island. The project used natural shoreline anchors including […]