Edition: Edina
The restoration of Arden Park and the portion of Minnehaha Creek that runs through it was recently recognized with another major award.
“This award is a testament to the value of natural resources in creating vibrant public spaces,” said Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) Board President Sherry White. “Through collaboration with the City of Edina, Hennepin County and dedicated water resource professionals, we’ve restored Minnehaha Creek to enhance water quality and climate resilience for the region, while transforming Arden Park into a remarkable community amenity.”
The award was presented to the three partners at the Minnesota Watersheds annual conference in December. This is the second award the project has received. In 2022, the team was given an engineering excellence award from the American Council of Engineering Companies.
“Before the project, the Arden Park area was looking really old. The shelter building was from the ’70s, and the water was basically sogging out the open space,” said Engineering Services Manager Ross Bintner. “After even the smallest of rains, the overall use of the park was pretty much limited to the trails because of how unusable the grass was.”
In addition to these challenges, Minnehaha Creek had been listed on the State’s impaired waters list due to low dissolved oxygen, high chloride and elevated E. coli bacteria levels.
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and the City of Edina worked together to address these issues. The $4 million Arden Park project was funded through grants from the Board of Water and Soil Resources Clean Water Fund, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Partners Legacy program and Hennepin County’s Natural Resources Opportunity Fund, with the remaining costs split between the Watershed District and the City
The following improvements were made as part of the project:
- Improved water quality – stormwater management features now keep approximately 30 pounds of phosphorus and 18,000 pounds of sediment out of Minnehaha Creek each year
- Restored stream health and habitat – removal of the 54th Street dam and re-meandering of Minnehaha Creek restored more than 2,100 feet of streambank, added 230 feet of stream length and created diverse aquatic and terrestrial habitat
- Four new creek access points for paddling, tubing, fishing and wading
- New park shelter and outdoor gathering space
- Enhanced open space
- Upgraded hockey rink
- Expanded trail network and new boardwalk
- More than 400 new trees
- Removal of invasive buckthorn and ash trees
- Expanded pollinator habitat
Although construction concluded in 2021, the project continues to show lasting success. Outcomes have been measured through ongoing water quality monitoring; successful native vegetation establishment; increased recreational use and the return of native species, including fish, turtles, birds, mammals, amphibians and other aquatic life.
“This project was an early example of the Council’s Better Together Edina strategy, where it’s all about public participation and being really on the pulse of what the community values,” said Bintner. “When we go forward with projects today, we still feel some of the DNA of this Arden Park project in them.”
The project helped establish a more transparent and inclusive approach to public engagement that continues to shape how the City works today. By centralizing information, clearly outlining engagement plans in advance and making project details accessible online, the process reduces confusion and ensures the broader community can follow along and participate in conversations.
By Lauren Sienbenaler