Construction underway on innovative storwmater management project
System will filter dissolved phosphorus near Dutch Lake in Minnetrista 

Deephaven, Minn. -- The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) has begun construction in Minnetrista on an innovative new filter system to improve water quality in Dutch Lake and downstream wetlands.

The MCWD is using a sand/iron filter to reduce the amount of phosphorus that enters Dutch Lake, which is considered impaired for its nutrient concentration.  It’s a relatively new technique in stormwater management.

Traditional stormwater ponds allow phosphorus particles to settle before the water moves into a water resource, but don’t capture the phosphorus that is dissolved. The new system will divert a portion of the flow of a nearby nutrient-laden stream through the filter and return the water to the stream before it flows into Dutch Lake. The MCWD also is managing buckthorn and installing native plantings in the area.

Dutch Lake flows into Lake Minnetonka’s Jennings Bay, which tied for the lowest MCWD lake grade among Lake Minnetonka’s 30 bays in 2011. The MCWD will monitor the filter’s effect on Dutch Lake and downstream resources to determine whether to use it in other parts of the watershed.

The project is located at 6800 Game Farm Road in Minnetrista. Construction should be substantially completed by March 9.

CONTACT:
Telly Mamayek
MCWD Communications Director
tmamayek@minnehahacreek.org | (952) 641-4508