Eden Prairie, Bloomington
- ABOUT
The Nine Mile Creek South Fork Bank Stabilization Project will restore approximately 5,300 feet of streambank along two stretches of Nine Mile Creek in Eden Prairie and Bloomington.
Purpose
The primary goal of the project is to stabilize the creek channel and restore eroding banks. This will reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients that enter Nine Mile Creek. Secondary project goals include improved upland habitat and increased floodplain connectivity.
Project Details
In 2021, the District conducted a Baseline Stream Assessment along roughly 3.3 miles of the south fork of Nine Mile Creek through the cities of Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Edina and Bloomington. As a result, the District has identified five stream sections, called reaches, where streambank stabilization is needed. These five reaches total roughly 1.1 miles of creek in the cities of Eden Prairie and Bloomington.
In these targeted reaches, the fast flowing creek has deepened the creek bed and disconnected flow from the floodplain. A properly connected floodplain should fill with water periodically to refill wetlands and provide unique habitat for wildlife. Disconnection from the floodplain has contained water flows to the creek banks. This causes fast and heavy creek flows and correspondingly, increases erosion. Our streambank restoration aims to slow down the creek flows to limit erosion, increase flood storage, and improve habitat for fish and other aquatic life. The proposed project will use hardscape—strategically placed rocks to reconnect the creek to the floodplain, and bioengineering—root wads, brush bundles, vegetated rock slopes, and native plantings to stabilize the creek from future erosion.
Some trees will be removed from the surrounding upland to use in the streambank stabilization. The targeted tree removal will increase sunlight and improve streambank vegetation following invasive (mainly Buckthorn) removal.
South Fork Nine Mile Creek Feasibility Study
Project Updates
Construction of streambank stabilization was completed on the south fork of Nine Mile Creek in Eden Prairie in Fall 2024. This section of the creek often had low or non-existent flow in dry times, which makes it hard for fish to move freely up and down stream. To fix this, big drops or barriers were removed and the stream channel is narrowed to make more consistent flow. Rock riffles are also added to promote in stream habitat and fish passage. We saw this practice put to the test not long after installation in the newly fixed section (check our video below).
Currently, Nine Mile Creek staff and consultants are addressing impairments of soil contaminants found in the Bloomington reach.
Public Hearing
The District held a public hearing on August 17, 2022, at the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District Office (12800 Gerard Dr, Eden Prairie, MN, 55346) for oral comments regarding the project design and draft feasibility study. Following this meeting, the Board of Managers ordered the project.
In the News
Eden Prairie Local News reporter Jeff Strate wrote a nice article on the progress he noticed on the Eden Prairie stretch of the South Fork. Check it out: https://www.eplocalnews.org/2025/07/16/summer-secret-eden-prairies-most-beautiful-valley/
Tentative Schedule
- Permitting: Summer 2023
- Construction of Eden Prairie Reach: Completed Fall 2024
- Construction of Bloomington Reach: Tentative Fall 2025
Grants
We would like to acknowledge our partnership with Great River Greening on the award of Outdoor Heritage Funding, as well as the use of watershed based implementation funding through the Clean Water Fund
Contact Brett Eidem, Project and Planning Manager, at beidem@ninemilecreek.org or 952-356-1999