The Rice Creek Watershed District's (RCWD) Water Quality Grant Program annually funds projects benefitting priority local waterbodies. Eligible practices include lakeshore and streambank stabilizations, curb-cut rain gardens, stormwater treatment, agricultural practices, and wetland restorations. Cost share rates vary based on the type of project and the water quality benefits achieved. Learn more about this program HERE. If you are an Anoka County resident within the Rice Creek watershed boundaries, contact Breanna Keith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a free consultation.

If your property is not well-suited to a water quality improvement project but you're interested in improving native habitat on your property, consider applying for RCWD's Mini-Grant Program. 

The Minnesota Stormwater Research Council held its inaugural symposium, attended by government entities, engineering firms, and research institutions. The event offered valuable updates and discussions on the current science and management strategies for stormwater ponds.

Stormwater ponds are ubiquitous in the landscape, given their use as a go-to management practice since the 1980s. Some are entirely manmade, while others were retrofitted from natural wetlands. Initially, their primary purpose was to mitigate flooding. However, their water quality benefits were quickly realized – particularly their ability to capture solids (such as trash and sediment) and the pollutants that often accompany them. Today, significant effort is devoted to strategies that further enhance stormwater ponds' water quality benefits, most notably by reducing phosphorus levels. 

Research shows that some stormwater ponds provide minimal nutrient-reduction benefits or can even act as a source of phosphorus. A pond's performance in this realm is difficult to predict, monitor, and correct. While extensive monitoring of a pond's chemistry, biology, and hydrology will paint the clearest picture, sometimes simpler metrics such as duckweed abundance, wind shelter, volume, age, and soil composition can provide valuable insight. Where problems exist, best management practices, such as dredging or vegetation management, can help.

Pond maintenance is often logistically challenging and requires a coordinated effort. Partnerships among pond owners (typically cities or HOAs), adjacent landowners, private firms, and local government entities with expertise is often essential to improve pond function. Learn more about stormwater ponds HERE or by watching the "Our Stormwater Pond Connection" video. For more information, contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Advanced street sweeping studies are being completed by ACD staff to identify locations where strategically increasing the frequency of sweeping would result in the greatest water quality benefits to the Rum and Mississippi rivers. The highest priority areas for this effort are typically those with limited existing stormwater treatment and/or high roadside tree canopy cover, both of which contribute to increased pollutant loads in stormwater. 

The photo above shows a street sweeping prioritization map produced through the enhanced street sweeping analysis for the City of St. Francis; green indicates the highest priority streets, and red indicates the lowest, for achieving water quality improvements to the Rum River. These analyses are also being completed for portions of Ramsey, Andover, and Anoka. Detailed reports and recommendations will be provided to these cities upon the completion of these studies. For more information contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Staff from ACD, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Minnesota Native Landscapes (the construction contractor) are shown above during the construction of a wetland restoration at Martin's Meadows in the City of Andover. Project collaborators not pictured above include The Nature Conservancy and the City of Andover. Several similar collaborative wetland restoration efforts are planned for both public and private properties soon! Contact ACD if you're interested in wetland restoration on your property.

Construction has concluded for nine lakeshore stabilization projects on the Sunrise Chain of Lakes: four on Martin Lake, three on Linwood Lake, and two on Coon Lake. Project locations were selected in 2024 based on the property's need for restoration and the anticipated water-quality benefits the project would deliver. Detailed designs were compiled, and three primary bioengineering approaches were applied. 

Funding for these projects was through a Clean Water Fund grant, the Sunrise River Watershed Management Organization, Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Aid, and landowner match. For more information contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..