Lake Nokomis Water Quality Improvement Project

Overview

In 2001, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) partnered with the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) to install wetland settling ponds to treat nutrients before they flow into Lake Nokomis. MCWD and MPRB also partnered to install an inflatable weir at the outlet of Lake Nokomis at Minnehaha Creek, to prevent peak stormwater flows from Minnehaha Creek from flowing into Lake Nokomis. MCWD also worked with a commercial fishing company to remove thousands of pounds of invasive common carp from Lake Nokomis. In 2012, MCWD and MPRB renovated the existing weir at Lake Nokomis after new water quality concerns arose. 

In the 1990s, neighborhood surveys in the Lake Nokomis area determined that the water quality in Lake Nokomis and Hiawatha was a primary concern for area residents. As a result, the Blue Water Commission (BWC) was conceived in 1996 by three Minneapolis neighborhoods — Hale Page Diamond Lake, Nokomis East, and Standish Ericsson and included the Cities of Minneapolis and Richfield; the MPRB; the MCWD; Hennepin County; the Metropolitan Airports Commission; and environmental groups. From November 1997 through May 1998, the BWC identified the following water problems and concerns: swimmability, fishability, aesthetics, diversity of plants and wildlife, and shoreline environment.