East Auburn Wetland Restoration

Overview

The East Auburn Wetland corridor is a system of wetlands originating at the outlet of Wassermann Lake and flowing north toward Highway 5 to the inlet of East Auburn Lake in Victoria. The wetland corridor includes part of Six Mile Creek and contains several types of wetlands. MCWD partnered with the City of Victoria to restore the East Auburn Wetland’s hydrologic function, improving water quality to downstream, impaired East Auburn Lake. The project included the installation of a sheet-pile weir to establish a more permanent pool of water in the wetland, which will reduce phosphorus loading downstream and improve wildlife habitat. Additionally, to improve user safety, MCWD and the City replaced the degraded boardwalk that crosses the wetland and connects to the City’s system of over 53 miles of trails and sidewalks.

MCWD has worked with the City of Victoria to improve water quality in many of the lakes in the Six Mile Creek-Halsted Bay Subwatershed, which is the headwaters of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed. Water quality improvements in this area will also impact water quality downstream. MCWD’s research and monitoring team determined that the water flowing out of the East Auburn Wetland has the highest nutrient loading in the corridor, making it a key target for a significant restoration in the area.