Historical Context

Lake Minnetonka and Minnehaha Creek are some of the Twin Cities’ most treasured waters and therefore have been a focal point for human development for centuries. Over many years, humans have created different structures to control and manage water flow between the lake and the creek.

After years of extreme flooding in the 1960s, residents along the creek recognized a need for a new system of water management and petitioned for the formation of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. Our first task was to build a new outlet control structure on Lake Minnetonka. Click here to open History of Gray’s Bay Dam in full screen.