Location: Fish Point Park, Prior Lake
Project Type: Capital Projects
Project Status: Complete
Current Status: Vegetation maintenance of the prairie restoration is ongoing. The amount of maintenance needed decreases as time goes on.
Property Information
Size: 9 acres
Ownership: This land is owned and maintained by the City of Prior Lake
About this Project:
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.
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.
The project was selected as a Finalist for the Minnesota Association of Watershed District’s 2016 Project of the Year Award.
Restoration Plans
Restoration of this area will include the following:
Retrofit an existing ditch section with in-line iron-sand filters- Enhance and expand the storage capacity of the wetland upstream of the ditch,
- Add an outlet structure to control wetland water levels
- Restore native prairie plants around wetland area
Anticipated Outcomes
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.
Informational Materials
Project Map & Feature Descriptions
Project Fact Sheet
Newsletter – November 2015
Related News Articles
Award Finalist: Fish Point Park Water Quality Project Recognized – December 2016
Fish Point Park gets sand filter to collect phosphorus – January 2016
Water Quality work begins near Lower Prior Lake – October 2015
Stay updated with this project through the PLSLWD News and Events Blog.
Partners and Contractors
City of Prior Lake
Emmons and Oliver Resources, Inc.
Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR)
Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment