Arden Park Named 2025 Minnesota Watersheds’ Project of the Year

News release

Edina, Minn. – The restoration of Arden Park in Edina, completed in 2021, was named the Minnesota Watersheds Project of the Year at its annual conference in December 2025. 

The Arden Park restoration project was a joint effort between the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD), the City of Edina, and Hennepin County to implement natural resource and recreation improvements that transformed the 18-acre park into an urban oasis where visitors can walk, picnic, view wildlife, play, and wade or tube in a restored Minnehaha Creek. 

MCWD Board members attended the February 4, 2026, Edina City Council meeting to share the award with the City. 

After the meeting, Edina Mayor James Hovland reflected on the collaborative project, saying, “The City of Edina has developed a wonderful relationship with the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District over the years, particularly due to our joint project work at Arden Park. With the participation of the nearby residents in the process of re-designing Arden Park, it became one of the jewels of Edina’s park system—a park that everyone loves more than ever—and MCWD played an instrumental role in helping it reach its true potential. MCWD has our forever gratitude for being such a great City of Edina partner.”

To improve water quality in Minnehaha Creek and downstream Lake Hiawatha, the project team leveraged Clean Water Funds to integrate a suite of stormwater treatment features that collect and clean stormwater runoff that had previously drained directly into the Creek from the surrounding neighborhoods and the retail center at 50th & France. The project also removed a low-head dam that had fragmented the waterway and collected contaminants, as well as addressed drainage issues that left many areas of the park soggy and unusable.  

Working with a team of engineers, scientists, and contractors, MCWD and the City restored 2,100 feet of stream channel, integrated regional treatment of over 90 acres of stormwater runoff, planted thousands of trees and shrubs, and reconnected the Creek with its floodplain to promote natural flood storage.

“When the park was originally built, the Creek was viewed as a detriment to land development. It had been moved out of the way, but this project recognized the community value that the Creek could provide and drew it back into the park system,” said Tom Swenson, Assistant Director of Parks & Natural Resources at the City of Edina. 

This work has positioned Arden Park as a hub for children, families, and all to appreciate, winning praise from community members, industry leaders, and policymakers, at local, state, and national levels, including an Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies and a feature in the US Army Corps’ Design with Nature Atlas.

Alongside contributions from MCWD and the City of Edina, the Arden Park project was funded in part by a Hennepin County Natural Resources Opportunity grant, the MN Clean Water Fund, and Conservation Partners Legacy funds. The project was supported by a team of consultants, including Stantec, Inter-Fluve, Rachel Contracting, Prairie Restorations, and Hart-Howerton. 

“Hennepin County was excited to be a partner on this project because it achieved many goals in one coordinated effort,” said Karen Galles, Hennepin County Land and Water Unit Manager. “By focusing on not only the Creek but also the surrounding landscape and community, Arden Park has become a regional amenity that protects water and connects the community to nature. The future for the Creek is bright because of projects like this.”  

The restoration of Arden Park is part of a larger effort by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District to improve water quality, promote flood resilience, expand greenspace, and restore some of the most degraded sections of Minnehaha Creek. 

Explore MCWD’s work on the Minnehaha Creek Greenway.

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The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) collaborates with public and private partners to protect and improve the 178 square miles of land and water within its boundaries, including Minnehaha Creek, Lake Minnetonka, the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, and Minnehaha Falls. Through collaborative planning and project implementation, MCWD seeks to create a landscape of vibrant communities across the 27 cities, two townships, and two counties (Hennepin and Carver) within the District. For more information, visit www.minnehahacreek.org.