Grant will Help Reverse Erosion on Rush Creek
The Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission is getting a $295,000 grant from Hennepin County. The money will be used for a Rush Creek restoration project in Maple Grove and Elm Creek in Champlin. The goal is to control erosion and protect water quality.
“All the surface water runoff that comes from a residential development, an agricultural field or a commercial industrial property, ends up in a creek or a lake at some point,” said Derek Asche, Maple Grove’s Water Resource Engineer. “So, protecting these streams… is really something that is a goal for both our community and the Elm Creek Watershed.”
Reversing stream erosion good for water quality
The first step for Maple Grove is to do a feasibility study and identify areas that need restoration.
This involves working with property owners and the watershed. Reversing stream erosion is good for water quality, stream habitat, pollinator habitat and flood control.
“In the case of Rush Creek, often times what we’ll find is the outside bends end up with some erosion on them,” Asche said. “We end up with dead fall in the creek. A lot of the water quality parameters might come back as impaired.”
The Elm Creek Watershed will study approximately two miles of waterway as part of the Rush Creek restoration. This will allow them to see which areas have the greatest need along the stream.
