Project Location

Sweeney Lake

Location Map

Project Manager

Laura Jester
Phone: 952-270-1990
Email: Laura.jester@keystonewaters.com

Language Resources

Key Documents

Status

Construction Time Frame: 2020-2021

Please save the date for an upcoming informational open house

Wednesday, April 8, 2020 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Bassett Creek Room, Brookview Golden Valley

See All Project Activity

Upcoming Meetings

There are no upcoming meetings scheduled at this time.

Background

The Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC), in cooperation with the City of Golden Valley and the Sweeney Lake Association is working on a project to help improve the water quality of Sweeney Lake beginning in 2020.

Sweeney Lake has high levels of nutrients and does not currently meet state water quality standards. Excess nutrients such as phosphorus have resulted in harmful algal blooms and poor water quality that can impact aquatic life, recreation, and aesthetics. High nutrient levels degrade habitat not just within the lake, but also in downstream waters including Bassett Creek and the Mississippi River.

Over the years, the BCWMC, the City of Golden Valley, and other partners have focused on implementing projects and best management practices that reduce pollution in the watershed surrounding Sweeney Lake. To complement these efforts, the Sweeney Lake Water Quality Improvement Project aims to control nutrients that originate from within the lake. Planned activities include:

  • Surveying and removing curly-leaf pondweed from the lake
  • Removing common carp from the lake and Schaper Pond (just south of the lake) to reduce the impact of carp stirring up sediments and releasing nutrients into the water
  • Performing an alum treatment with aluminum sulfate that binds to phosphorus and prevents the release of nutrients from the lake bottom

Overall, the project will improve water clarity, reduce algae blooms, improve habitat for aquatic life, and improve recreational experiences in Sweeney Lake and downstream waters. Work is slated to begin this spring and continue through the year.

Funding

Funding for this project is proposed to come from the BCWMC’s Capital Improvement Program funds through 2020 and 2021 property taxes collected by Hennepin County on property throughout the whole Bassett Creek Watershed. Additional project funding will come from a federal grant through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. There are no special assessments to property owners for this project.