2019 Mid-Year Highlights

In the second year of implementing Minnehaha Creek Watershed District’s (MCWD) Watershed Management Plan, we are happy to see the work we are doing together with our partners is showing positive trends for our natural resources and communities across our watershed.

Our data is showing that our joint efforts are improving the health of our lakes and streams in our focal subwatersheds and providing economic and social benefits to our communities. We are on the leading edge of a bold endeavor to put water at the forefront of land use planning and it’s exciting to see it starting to bear fruit.

Underpinning these efforts are the partnerships with our private and public partners. In two key subwatersheds that drain to Lake Minnetonka, we are working together to decrease the amount of water and nutrients flowing into the lake and communities downstream. In the lower half of our watershed along Minnehaha Creek, we are aligning our work with our partners’ goals, including planning for climate resiliency. The extreme weather we’ve had this year has challenged us to continually seek ways to hold water on the landscape across the watershed and to further refine our management of the Gray’s Bay Dam.

The results included in this update are just the beginning of what we can accomplish in partnership to improve the quality of water and qualify of life in our communities. We look forward to joining with you on this innovative approach to water management. Read the full 2019 Mid-Year Highlights.