Projects

Schaper Pond Diversion Project

Golden Valley

Project Number: SL-3

Project Status | Active

Sunram Construction was hired to construct the project which began in early winter 2015. The baffle was installed and fully deployed on December 10, 2015. Since then, further stabilization of the baffle has been needed due to vandalism and strong winds moving the baffle. Additional weights were added to the baffle to provide more support against wind. The project site was seeded and vegetation management is on-going. At their meeting in August 2016, the Commission authorized a study of the effectiveness of the diversion project. Results of that study were presented in May 2017 (see technical memo and presentation with documents to right) and determined that high amounts of total phosphorus pollution were still entering Sweeney Lake from Schaper Pond. The Commission Engineer was directed to perform additional monitoring including a survey of carp populations and movements between the pond and the lake to the north, and the pond and the Sweeney Branch of Bassett Creek to the south. The final report on the carp population survey is available under "more information" below.

In 2019, the BCWMC received a federal 319 grant to address the high carp population and perform an alum treatment on Sweeney Lake. At their meeting on September 19, 2019, the BCWMC officially ordered the "Sweeney Lake Improvement Project." More information can be found on that project page here.

Project Funding | Not Grant Funded

The estimated cost of this project is $612,000 of which $78,000 will be funded by the BCWMC's Capital Improvement Project Closed Project Fund and up to $534,000 will be funded by the BCWMC's 2013 ad valorem tax levy collected via Hennepin County in 2014.

Project Description

The BCWMC, in cooperation with the City of Golden Valley, constructed the Schaper Pond Diversion Project in December 2015 to reduce the amount of phosphorous entering Sweeney Lake.

In 2011 the BCWMC completed the Sweeney Lake Total Phosphorous Total Maximum Daily Load Study (TMDL). The study's implementation program identified modifying the water flow through Schaper Pond as one of the options toward the goal of reducing Bassett Creek Watershed phosphorous loads.

The Schaper Pond Diversion Project diverts water, via a floating water baffle, within Schaper Pond to direct more of the water flows to the northwest part of the pond. The diversion allows the water to remain in the pond for a longer period of time, allowing a greater amount of sediment, phosphorous, and other suspended solids to settle out before the water exits the pond. The project included the installation of an approximately 380-foot floating water baffle extending out from the east side of the pond and the construction of two maintenance access areas. The project is expected to reduce the amount of phosphorus reaching Sweeney Lake by an estimated 81 - 156 pounds per year.