Lake Harriet Shoreline Repairs This project seeks to repair and stabilize the shoreline in order to protect park infrastructure, improve habitat, and enhance water quality.

Milestones (anticipated project schedule by month/season)

Winter 2026: Site Assessment, Analysis and Schematic Design

• Develop multiple shoreline stabilization strategies for extents of WPA wall on western side of Lake Harriet, one being perpetuation of existing WPA walls.
• Provide cost estimating for shoreline stabilization option.
• Generate a list of required permits.
• Develop strategies for how the entire shoreline stabilization project can best be phased over multiple years, knowing repairs would likely occur over several years.

Background

Large segments of the existing Works Project Administration (WPA) wall along the western shoreline have degraded over the years creating unsafe and unstable conditions.  While some wall segments appear generally still intact other segments are missing stones or have shifted and are leaning inward towards the lake.  Continued degradation of the wall and erosion of soil behind the wall is compromising the integrity of the lake edge and adjacent regional trail system.  This project seeks to repair and stabilize the shoreline in order to protect park infrastructure, improve habitat, and enhance water quality.

Funding

Current project funding includes Met Council regional funding and additional outside funds.

The original construction documents show the walls consisting of a stone veneer and cap over a poured concrete core and footing. The veneer tapers from approximately 18” at the footing to 6” below the cap.

In 2016 the walls were examined along the shore-side and the water side.  Based on these inspections, the faces of the walls and the caps are in uniformly poor condition. The deterioration is especially pronounced at the waterline where the masonry is subject to freeze-thaw cycles and to abrasion from moving ice. Where visible, the cores appear to be sound.