Projects

Northwood Lake Water Quality Improvement Project

City of New Hope

Project Number: NL-1

Project Status | Complete

This project is complete with all components constructed and operational. The underground storm water tank began capturing and re-using runoff for irrigation in June 2016. The rain gardens were installed and vegetation is now established. The educational sign is installed to help the public understand the underground system and ways they can help improve water in the lake.

Project Funding | Grant Funded

This project was partially grant funded through a Clean Water Partnership grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in the amount of $300,000 and a Clean Water Fund grant from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources in the amount of $400,000. The project was funded at an amount up to $752,000 by the BCWMC's ad valorem tax levy via Hennepin County over two years, 2016 and 2017, and the City of New Hope provided additional funds of $300,000 toward the project.

Project Description

The BCWMC, in cooperation with the City of New Hope, constructed this storm water improvement project that will treat storm water runoff from more than 110 acres of previously untreated urban land.

The project included the installation of a variety of Best Management Practices (BMPs) at two different locations adjacent to the lake. These BMPs maximize storm water treatment while minimizing the amount of land removed from useable park space. The project included constructing at the east end of Northwood Lake an underground storm water re-use system including a chamber with a 160,000-gallon capacity . The reuse system uses captured storm water runoff to irrigate adjacent ball fields. An overflow system directs extra runoff to a series of three rain gardens. At the west end of the lake, a wet ponding basin was constructed to treat storm water runoff from rear-yard areas and Jordan Avenue.

This project will remove an estimated 22 pounds of phosphorous per year from entering Northwood Lake and will reduce the amount of other pollutants carried to the lake in storm water runoff and snowmelt.