Eden Prairie

ABOUT

The District is conducting a water quality study on Birch Island Lake in Eden Prairie.

Photo of Birch Island Lake
A net (object in water on lower right) was temporarily installed at Birch Island Lake to study the fish population.

Project Description

The District is undertaking a lake water quality study on Birch Island Lake to identify potential water quality improvement projects to help improve the overall health of the lake.

Outreach

Lake User Survey

Thank you to everyone who took the lake user survey. The survey provided community feedback to Nine Mile Creek Watershed District staff, engineers, and the board of managers, along with the City of Eden Prairie. The feedback helped assist in the evaluation of management strategies designed to improve the health of Birch Island Lake. The survey targeted 160 addresses in the Birch Island Lake subwatershed and was active December 19 – January 31, 2023. The survey received 16 responses.

See the survey results

Past Community Meetings

  • A community meeting was held on January 9, 2023, at Eden Prairie City Center to kick-off the Birch Island Lake water quality study. At the meeting, staff from the watershed district, City of Eden Prairie, and Barr Engineering gave a short presentation and answered questions.

View the presentation: Birch Island Lake Community Meeting Presentation (1/9/23)

  • On January 8th, 2024, Nine Mile Creek Watershed District partnered with the City of Eden Prairie to host an informational meeting about the water quality in Birch Island Lake. Watershed District engineers shared the results of our recent water quality study and shared the next steps to improve water quality in Birch Island Lake.

View the presentation: Birch Island Lake Community Meeting Presentation (1/8/24)

View the meeting: Birch Island Lake Community Meeting (1/8/24)

Additional Resources

Shallow Lakes Webinar

Learn more about shallow lakes and their functions and values. What does a shallow lake look like, and why are plants so important? What are the rules and regulations regarding shallow lakes? Joe Bischoff, a Senior Aquatic Ecologist and Certified Lake Manger with Barr Engineering Co, presented a webinar on April 12, 2022, to answer these questions and more.

View the full recording: Shallow Lakes Webinar Recording

Birch Island lake Water Quality  Study

Birch Island Lake Water Quality Study Summary

Birch Island Lake Water Quality Study Full Report

Birch Island Lake Historic Water Level Reports

Birch Island Lake Water Level Investigation 2005

WaterLevelInvestigationReport_12-1992_23270572

Questions?

Contact Jordan Wein, Water Resources Project Manager, at 952-800-8307 jwein@ninemilecreek.org