Apex Pond in the City of Fridley was enhanced in 2023 to improve water quality in both Springbrook Creek (County Ditch #17) and the Mississippi River. Originally constructed in 1999 with a ponding depth of 1-foot to slow the rate of runoff entering Springbrook Creek, the enhanced pond is ~6-feet deep and provides water quality treatment for nearly 90 acres of residential neighborhoods. The increased ponding depth enables sediment and nutrients to settle and accumulate in the pond. Runoff enters the pond via three inlets and a single outlet serves as the connection to Springbrook Creek. 

Total annual reductions to Springbrook and the Mississippi River include 16.80 lbs-TP/yr and 6,617 lbs-TSS/yr. The City of Fridley funded pond maintenance, and a combination of Watershed Based Implementation Funds from the Board of Water and Soil Resources, a Coon Creek Watershed District Water Quality Cost-Share Program grant, and the City of Fridley funded the pond enhancement. For more information contact Mitch Haustein, Stormwater & Shoreland Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

New stormwater treatment is in place to benefit the Rum River, thanks to a collaborative effort by the City of St. Francis, ACD, and Upper Rum River Watershed Management Organization (URRWMO). While St. Francis has a strong network of stormwater ponds and other practices, certain areas of the city were built before stormwater treatment became the norm. We are "retrofitting" stormwater treatment into these older neighborhoods. 

The most recent project is a rain garden installed on a city owned out-lot. Stormwater in this residential neighborhood drains directly to the Rum River. The new rain garden has a curbside inlet, allowing water into a basin that filters and infiltrates stormwater. The garden will hold water for no more than 48 hours. It will remove 44% of solids (111lbs/yr) and 46% (0.6 lbs/yr) of phosphorus from a two acre drainage area. The rain garden is planted with native shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers. We are hopeful this project results in other landowners wishing to have a rain garden on their property.

The Apex Pond enhancement project in the City of Fridley is complete! Project planning began in 2022 with surveying, testing soils for on site contaminants, and design development. Construction began in fall, 2023 and spreading native seed and securing erosion control blanket over the upper slopes surrounding the pond were the final elements needed to complete installation. Originally constructed in 1999 with a ponding depth of one foot for rate control of runoff, the enhanced pond is approximately six feet deep and provides water quality treatment for nearly 90 acres of residential neighborhoods. The increased ponding depth enables sediment and nutrients to settle and accumulate in the pond basin.

For more information contact Mitch Haustein, Stormwater and Shoreland Specialist, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Construction is complete for six rain gardens at residential lots in the Rice Creek Terrace neighborhood in the City of Fridley. These rain gardens were placed at high priority locations to intercept and treat stormwater before it enters Rice Creek. The locations were identified during a Lower Rice Creek Stormwater Retrofit Analysis conducted by ACD in partnership with the City and the Rice Creek Watershed District. The rain gardens were funded by the RCWD's water quality cost share program and the City of Fridley. Landowners have all agreed to long-term maintenance of the gardens to ensure optimal and continuing stormwater treatment. 

Cumulatively, the six rain gardens are estimated to infiltrate 455,000 gallons of water, as well as remove 605 pounds of sediment and two pounds of phosphorus loading to Rice Creek annually. All six rain gardens are vegetated with native plants to maximize infiltration and provide the co-benefit of pollinator habitat. Additionally, one rain garden is located immediately adjacent to a trail entrance into Locke County Park, providing an excellent public education opportunity.

Over the next two to three years, the native plant plugs will get much bigger, filling the gardens with color and life. To see other rain gardens already installed throughout Anoka County, please see the virtual project tour on ACD's website. See photos of all six new rain gardens above.