Sauk River Municipal Stormwater Management and Retrofit

The Sauk River and its seven reservoir lakes are impaired for turbidity, e.coli and excessive nutrients. Local studies conducted on Sauk Lake, the Sauk River Chain of Lakes and the lower reach of the Sauk River identified urban stormwater runoff as a source of sediment and nutrient loading. This project will address stormwater runoff concerns within the communities of Sauk Centre, Cold Spring and St. Cloud by providing treatment through bioretention and infiltration. Located adjacent to the Sauk River, each city has stormwater outfalls that directly discharge to the river creating a negative impact on water quality.
Treating stormwater runoff from these riparian communities will improve water quality by reducing sediment and nutrient loading to the Sauk River and its reservoirs. The city of Sauk Centre will address runoff concerns within the sub-watershed of their latest stormwater capital improvement project by installing a series of infiltration projects. The city of Cold Spring will utilize funds to install four high priority stormwater bio-retention projects to prevent sediment from reaching the Sauk River as well as Brewery Creek, a small trout stream flowing through the city to the Sauk River. The city of St. Cloud will address two city parks located along the Sauk River that have runoff issues causing the bank slough along the river.