Middle Creek Channel Improvements

Perhaps you’ve driven along Highview Avenue near Dodd Boulevard in Lakeville and noticed a few houses being built. It’s a little crazy how busy builders are right now with new home construction in this area. What you may not have noticed is the creek channel also being improved. Middle Creek, and a tributary, flow through the Pinnacle Reserve development along Highview Avenue in Lakeville, just south of Dodd Boulevard. With homes being built, it created some urgency to look at the conditions of Middle Creek and the tributary in order to make any improvements before significant infrastructure and restrictions prevented the ability to easily access and restore creek conditions.

The creek channels were in really poor conditions with significant erosion from previous land practices and an extremely dense cover of trees shading out groundcover below. Approximately 5,000 feet of creek channel was identified as eroding and in need of a fix. Working with the City of Lakeville, the VRWJPO leveraged $150,000 in City and VRWJPO funding and were awarded a $380,000 Clean Water Fund Grant through the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) to improve the condition of Middle Creek and its tributary. The resulting project utilized a variety of stabilization practices to address the existing erosion problems.

The project has resulted in significant improvements in the creek channels and areas along the banks, which will reduce 63 tons per year of sediment from eroding into Middle Creek and its tributary. Local residents will also enjoy better access to the creek channels and habitat they provide to local wildlife.