Our Projects
VRWJPO invests in capital improvement projects that protect or improve water resources and/or are identified in the Watershed Plan. Projects are intended to address impairments such as phosphorus, total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, nitrates, aquatic invasive species (AIS), and other issues as they arise.
The VRWJPO has received several grants to implement large-scale water resource projects funded through the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment approved by Minnesota voters in 2008. All completed capital improvement projects installed with VRWJPO funds are identified on an interactive map with yellow and red stars.
Completed Projects Map
Project Fact Sheets
Current Projects
Alimagnet Lake alum treatments
Background
Alimagnet Lake is a nutrient-impaired waterbody surrounded by the highly recreated 220-acre Alimagnet Park, split between Apple Valley and Burnsville. Following several projects to address external phosphorus loading, VRWJPO, partnering with the two cities, was awarded a Clean Water Fund competitive grant award from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) to administer an aluminum sulfate (alum) treatment to address internal phosphorus load. Alum improves water quality by binding to phosphorus within the water column, causing it to settle to the lake bottom and no longer allowing it to fuel algae growth. The compound stays settled on the lake-bottom, keeping phosphorus from being resuspended from lake-bottom sediments into the water column.
Timeline
- Week of October 14, 2024: First dose completed (pictured)
- 2025: Sediment samples will be collected and analyzed to inform future dosing
- Spring 2026: Second, and last, dose
- Fall 2026: Sediment samples will be collected and analyzed to document the effectiveness of the treatment
City staff and volunteers ran Secchi depth tests on the lake the week before and the week after the first alum treatment. Secchi depth is a measurement of water clarity, a key indicator for water quality. The depth on Oct. 8, 2024, was 2.26 feet. On Oct. 23, it was 7.51 feet – a threefold increase in water clarity!
Benefits
The project will result in a phosphorus load reduction of 114.9 lbs/year of phosphorus. This alum treatment, coupled with previous external load projects, should allow the lake to be removed from the state’s impaired waters list. Less phosphorus would reduce excess algae, making the lake and park better experiences for people.
Costs & Contributions
- VRWJPO: $5,000 for in-kind grant administration/coordination; $30,000 cash match for engineering/technical assistance.
- City of Apple Valley: Technical assistance
- City of Burnsville: Technical assistance
- BWSR: $25,000 from competitive Clean Water Fund for engineering/technical assistance; $262,000 from competitive Clean Water Fund for alum treatments
East Lake invasive carp & goldfish removal
Background
East Lake, a shallow lake in Lakeville, is impaired for phosphorus, a problem exacerbated by invasive common carp and goldfish (rough fish, pictured below) digging for food in the phosphorus-bound lake bottom sediments. These fish species can make their way into the connected North Creek-Vermillion River and disrupt ecosystems there as well. Studies found that carp and goldfish biomass within East Lake had reached 192 lbs/acre. Research indicates negative water quality impacts associated with these bottom-feeding fish at biomass densities of 100 lbs/acre.
One way to address this problem is a barrier to keep these fish from moving into or out of the lake. VRWJPO, partnering with the City of Lakeville, received a competitive Clean Water Fund grant from BWSR in 2023 to install a low-voltage electric fish barrier between East Lake and its connection with North Creek. The barrier began operating in spring 2024. This allowed VRWJPO and partners to start removing these fish from the lake to populations acceptable for sustainable management purposes.
Fish removals for 2024 have been completed as of October. The first year of removals were quite successful, with 2,798 pounds of fish taken from the lake via electrofishing and baited box nets. Carp and goldfish biomass was reduced to 89.9 lbs/acre. But we can’t celebrate quite yet – goldfish are the predominant species in the lake, and while goldfish are a carp variant, there is no established biomass at which positive water quality impacts are known to be achieved.
Fish removals and water quality monitoring will continue in 2025. The electric barrier has been removed for the winter.
Timeline
- Spring 2024: Electric barrier installed and began operating
- Spring-fall 2024: Fish removals
- Spring-fall 2025: Second year of removals
Benefits
The project is estimated to reduce total phosphorus in East Lake by 23 lbs./year and reduce invasive fish in North Creek and the Vermillion River. This will make for an improved recreational experience at the surrounding East Lake Community Park and connected Dakota County North Creek Greenway.
Costs & Contributions
- VRWJPO: $5,000 for In-kind grant administration/coordination; estimated $37,500 cash match for construction of low voltage fish barrier and rough fish removals
- City of Lakeville: $37,500 cash match for construction of barrier and rough fish removals
- Dakota County: Operation and maintenance of barrier
- BWSR: $300,000 from competitive Clean Water Fund for engineering, technical assistance, and construction of barrier
