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) is 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

The lake user survey is meant to provide community feedback to watershed district staff, engineers, and the board of managers, along with the City of Eden Prairie to assist in the evaluation of management strategies designed to improve the health of Birch Island Lake.

The survey was available December 19th, 2022-January 31st, 2023. An postcard with an online survey link was mailed to 160 addresses in the subwatershed of Birch Island Lake on December 20, 2022. Stakeholders that attended the community meeting on January 9, 2023, were also encouraged to take the survey and were emailed the survey link following the meeting. The survey link was also available on this webpage . Sixteen survey responses were received.

See the survey results

Community Meeting

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)

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

Shallow Lakes Brochure

Shallow Lakes: Minnesota’s Natural Heritage (PDF)

About Birch Island Lake

Nine Mile Creek Lake Page: Birch Island Lake

Nine Mile Creek Lake and Groundwater Monitoring Page: Lake Data

DNR Lake Finder: Birch Island Lake

Questions?

For questions on the lake study process or on Birch Island Lake, contact Erica, Project Manager, at 952-358-2276.