Northwood Lake Improvement Project

The Northwood Lake Improvement Project will treat storm water runoff from over 110 acres of currently untreated urban land through a variety of practices at two different locations adjacent to the lake. Northwood Lake is an impoundment of the North Branch of Bassett Creek located in the City of New Hope within the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC). Northwood Lake is a shallow lake with a fully developed watershed of 1,341 acres that provides very little stormwater treatment. The lake is used for aesthetic viewing, boating, and fishing, and is home to the City of New Hope's premier park, Northwood Park. Northwood Lake is impaired due to nutrients and is included in the MPCA's impaired waters 303(d) list. The lake is classified as a Priority 1 lake by the BCWMC and City of New Hope. The BCWMC has developed strategies to improve Northwood Lake's water quality dating back to the 1996 Northwood Lake Management Plan and continuing into the 2015 BCWMC Watershed Management Plan. The components of this proposed project were analyzed and fully described in the Feasibility Study for the Northwood Lake Improvement Project (November 2014). The project includes rainwater gardens, underground stormwater collection and re-use, a structural pretreatment device, and a wet ponding basin. These practices will maximize storm water treatment while minimizing the amount of land removed from useable park space. These practices will combine to reduce phosphorus loading by 22 lbs per year, significantly increasing the regularity with which the lake meets applicable BCWMC and State water quality standards. Secondary benefits of the project will include water conservation (through stormwater re-use for irrigation), stormwater volume reduction, habitat improvements, open space preservation, development of innovative technologies, and education. The project will be completed in partnership with the City of New Hope.