Lebanon Hills Regional Park Chain of Lakes Improvement Project
Dakota County is partnering with the Dakota Soil and Water Conservation District to preserve and enhance the chain of shallow lakes in Lebanon Hills Regional Park which is owned and operated by Dakota County and located within the City of Eagan. Dakota County proposes to construct two regional iron-enhanced sand filtration practices to achieve the load reduction goals set forth in the LHRP Subwatershed Assessment Report to protect Jensen and Schulze lakes and prevent them from being listed on the 303(d) Impaired Waters List. The project will reduce 26 pound of phosphorus annually.
Dakota County is partnering with the Dakota Soil and Water Conservation District to preserve and enhance the chain of shallow lakes in Lebanon Hills Regional Park (LHRP), which is owned and operated by Dakota County and located within the City of Eagan. LHRP features nearly 2,000 acres of protected park lands, is a premier water resources destination within the south metro, and receives over 700,000 visitors per year. Dakota County conducted a subwatershed assessment for LHRP in 2017 that identified internal and external pollutant loading sources and identified targeted best management practices to address nuisance algae blooms and declining water clarity trends in Schulze and Jensen lakes. Of all the park amenities, Schulze Lake Beach draws the highest amount of park visits. However, despite Schulze Lake's status as the most popular lake within the region for swimming and other water-based recreation, its declining water clarity is a concern of many visitors. Additionally, park volunteers and staff have measured declining clarity within Jensen Lake which is located at the headwaters of the LHRP lake chain and is a common starting point for the popular LHRP canoe route. Dakota County proposes to construct two regional iron-enhanced sand filtration (IESF) practices to achieve the load reduction goals set forth in the LHRP Subwatershed Assessment Report to protect Jensen and Schulze lakes and prevent them from being listed on the 303(d) Impaired Waters List. The first IESF will be constructed at a major stormwater inlet to Jensen Lake and is estimated to achieve 100% of the total phosphorus (TP) load reduction goal (8.4 lbs/yr). The second proposed BMP is a series of four IESF ditch checks between Portage and Schulze lakes. The proposed IESF ditch checks will reduce loading to Schulze Lake by approximately 4 lbs TP/year and are part of a larger, ongoing Schulze Lake improvement project that will achieve 100% of the load reduction goal (14 lb/year) by 2020.
Annie Felix-Gerth
$6,882,000 the first year and $12,618,000 the second year are for grants to protect and restore surface water and drinking water; to keep water on the land; to protect, enhance, and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams; and to protect groundwater and drinking water, including feedlot water quality and subsurface sewage treatment system projects and stream bank, stream channel, shoreline restoration, and ravine stabilization projects. The projects must use practices demonstrated to be effective, be of long lasting public benefit, include a match, and be consistent with total maximum daily load (TMDL) implementation plans, watershed restoration and protection strategies (WRAPS), or local water management plans or their equivalents. A portion of these funds may be used to seek administrative efficiencies through shared resources by multiple local governmental units.
Achieve 100% of the Schulze Lake and Jensen Lake watershed phosphorus reduction goals with additional benefits to downstream McDonough Lake to ultimately reduce nuisance algae blooms and address declining water clarity.
This project has resulted in an estimated annual reduction of 12.4 lbs of Phosphorus,
LOCAL LEVERAGED FUNDS