Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District
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Articles posted by PLSLWD

Fish Point Park Retrofits

Posted by PLSLWD - November 10, 2015 - Fish Point Park Retrofits
Clean Water Story - Fish Point Park

Click to enlarge – PDF

Project Summary

Lower Prior Lake is widely used as a local and regional recreational amenity, particularly for boating and fishing. In July 2013, Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District wrapped up a Diagnostic and Feasibility study which determined that water quality in the majority of the lake is determined by the direct drainage from the watershed, called out untreated and undertreated areas, and identified specific projects and opportunities by subwatershed.
The proposed project includes three elements:
1) retrofitting an existing ditch section with in-line iron-sand filters
2) expanding storage capacity and creating wetland upstream of the ditch with an outlet structure
3) restoring native prairie plants

Fish Point Park Map

Following a neighborhood meeting held in July 2015, several changes were made to the original plans to accommodate neighbors’ feedback. The total wetland enhancement area was reduced in size which resulted in the removal of fewer trees. The revised plans also reduced the size of the native prairie planting area in order to retain the flat playing field area and sledding hill. In addition, some of the fill from the excavation of the ponding area was placed on the playing field but most of the fill was taken off-site to preserve the playing field and sledding hill. Lastly, the size of the ponding area was increased as a result of neighbors’ desires for a larger area of open water in the wetland.

Anticipated Outcomes

FishPtPark_Water Quality Improvements Project Map_Updated Nov 2015_With Pictures

Click on image to enlarge.

The subwatershed in which this project is located was identified as undertreated in the Diagnostic and Feasibility study. By improving the efficiency of the existing treatment train from 35% to an estimated 78%, the overall load to Lower Prior Lake would be reduced by 19 lbs, to 10lbs/year. The three elements in this project will work together to enhance their collective effectiveness, making the overall project benefits greater than the sum of the benefit provided by each part.

Project Progress in 2015: Construction Underway

In 2015, the Watershed District finalized plans for the Fish Point Park Water Quality Improvement project. A neighborhood meeting was held in July 2015 to share the project plans with neighbors and receive their feedback. Plans were then revised to incorporate neighborhood feedback.

In October, a Conservation Corps Minnesota crew began tree and brush removal at the site to prepare for the excavation of the wetland pond. Contractors then removed the remaining trees to complete the site preparation work. The wetland expansion will increase the stormwater storage capacity of the site.

Crews completed the excavation of the ponding area during the first week of November. While most of the fill was removed from the site, some of the excess fill was spread on the field net to the basketball court and along the western edge of the wetland area. The installation of the outlet structures and the iron sand filter is underway and should be completed by mid-November.

Multiple best management practices are in place to prevent erosion and keep sediment on site. Street sweepers are also being used to keep the road in front of the park clean.

Construction should largely be complete by the end of 2015.

Next steps:

Construction should be largely complete by December 2015. There will be a neighborhood meeting held in April 2016 to discuss the vegetation plans for the site. The vegetation plans will then be finalized and planting will occur later that spring. There will be opportunities for volunteers to help with planting so stay tuned for more details!

View Full Article Fish Point Park, PLSLWD, Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District, Water quality

The Science of Spring Lake

Posted by PLSLWD - April 24, 2015 - News

A Free District Wide Science Event Open to Students and Their Parents

Tuesday, April 28th
7:00 p.m.
Prior Lake High School
Commons

In 2002, Spring Lake was placed on Minnesota’s list of impaired waters by the Minensota Pollution Control Agency. Since then, the Prior Lake-Spring Lake watershed District has been working hard to improve the water quality of the lake by restoring areas in the upper watershed, completing lake treatments to remove excess phosphorus, addressing the problems caused by common carp, and restoring the shorelines along Spring Lake, among other activities. Come find out more from the scientists who are working to improve the water quality of one of our favorite resources.

Click here for more information.

View Full Article

Upper Watershed Volume Reduction

Posted by PLSLWD - March 12, 2015 - CR 12/17 Wetland Restoration

12_17 Wetland_LARGE SIGN

The reconstruction of County Road 12 and Sunset Avenue in the city of Prior Lake afforded the District with an opportunity to improve and increase a wetland with marginal resource benefit which included an agricultural drainage ditch. The project is now almost complete and will enhance flood control and capture phosphorus and sediment before they reach Spring Lake and other downstream water bodies. It will also treat runoff from two highways , city roads as well as an upstream 60 acre agricultural area.

Next Steps:

The District will continue to monitor and maintain the vegetation around the wetlands until it has been successfully established.  Also, a carp barrier has been designed for this location and will be installed this fall by the City of Prior Lake.

The District will also be working with the City of Prior Lake to place two interpretive signs at this location, explaining the many benefits of the improvements that have been accomplished at this site.

12_17 Wetland_INTERPRETIVE sign

Clean Water Story – Upper Watershed Volume Reduction (PDF)

Clean Water Story – Upper Prior Lake Targeted Retrofits & Enhancements (PDF)

View Full Article

Sandbagging Spring Lake Outlet

Posted by PLSLWD - June 27, 2014 - Flooding Updates

The Watershed District and the City of Prior Lake have received several inquiries regarding restricting the flow of water from Spring Lake to aid in equalizing the level of water in Prior Lake. Any change in the natural course of water requires approval of the state. In 1983 and 1993 the Watershed District was granted permits from the Department of Natural Resources to sand bag the channel between the two lakes. The City of Prior Lake and the Watershed District are researching the impact of sandbagging on Spring Lake.  On July 2, the Prior Lake City Council passed a resolution that asked the District to seek authorization for sandbagging the Spring Lake Outlet Weir “to such a height as may be approved without damage to additional public and private property surrounding Spring Lake.” After reviewing preliminary engineered flooding models, on July 8, the Board of Managers voted to support that request. The next step is for the District to finalize the models and supply the necessary paperwork with a permit application to the Department of Natural Resources.

View Full Article

Lake Cresting

Posted by PLSLWD - June 27, 2014 - Flooding Updates

Prior Lake and Spring Lake have crested.  It all depends upon drainage in the watershed and the extent to whether or not we get more rain.  Extremely high lake levels will persist for the foreseeable future.  The Slow No Wake restriction for Prior Lake will not be lifted until the lake level drops below 904 feet for three consecutive days, which may take weeks.  While in place, the Slow No Wake restriction dictates no person shall operate a watercraft at greater than a slow no-wake speed on the entire lake.

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Prior Lake – Spring Lake Watershed District

The District covers about 42 square miles in Scott County, MN. Water in the PLSLWD flows mainly from the southwest to the northeast through Spring, Upper Prior and Lower Prior Lakes, and then north through the Prior Lake Outlet Channel to the Minnesota River near Valley Fair amusement park.
Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment

Prior Lake - Spring Lake Watershed District
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372

Phone: (952) 447-4166
Email: info@plslwd.org

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