Community Corner

Watershed District Hosts Meeting to Discuss Six Mile Creek

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) is exploring ways to improve water quality throughout the complex Six Mile Creek system, beginning with a comprehensive study of the issues and opportunities presented within this subwatershed.

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The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District will host a meeting in Victoria tonight to discuss the importance of Six Mile Creek to the watershed's overall health and to gather input from the community on how to improve water quality.

The meeting takes place at Victoria City Hall from 6:30 -8:30 p.m.

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The Six Mile Creek subwatershed, located to the southwest of Lake Minnetonka, contains a series of interconnected lakes and streams that eventually drain into Lake Minnetonka’s Halsted Bay. 

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) is exploring ways to improve water quality throughout this complex system, beginning with a comprehensive study of the issues and opportunities presented within this subwatershed. 

Find out what's happening in Lake Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Six Mile Creek Diagnostic Study will establish a baseline condition of the health of lakes and streams within the subwatershed. This work will include:

  • Using soil core samples of the lake beds to help determine each lake’s nutrient content 
  • Examining the lakes’ fish and plant communities
  • Investigating changes in land use and their effect on water quality

This information will be used to develop water quality improvement goals within the subwatershed and identify projects, programs and initiatives that can be implemented to meet these goals.

The MCWD is seeking input from residents on priorities for the comprehensive plan. What are the most important water issues in your area? Let us know

Study Goals

  • Develop refined goals for water quality and phosphorus loads. Create a prioritized list of projects to meet these new goals 
  • Identify opportunities for reducing nutrients in lakes and streams
  • Identify opportunities for in-lake restoration, such as carp management, aquatic vegetation improvement and restoration of fisheries 
  • Identify opportunities for long-term protection of lakes and streams
  • Improve ecological integrity in the subwatershed for the next decade as the area becomes increasingly developed

About Six Mile Creek Subwatershed

The Six Mile Creek subwatershed is a 27-square-mile drainage area along the southwestern boundary of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and includes the cities of St. Bonifacius, Victoria, Laketown Township, Minnetrista, and Watertown Township. 

The area is the most rural and undeveloped region in the MCWD and agriculture is its primary land use.  

The subwatershed contains several major lakes, including: Pierson, Wasserman, East and West Auburn, Steiger, Zumbra-Sunny, Stone, Lunsten and Parley. 

Six Mile Creek is mainly comprised of ditches running through large marsh areas and connects several lakes. It begins at the outlet of Pierson Lake and flows 12 miles to Halsted Bay on Lake Minnetonka, which is considered impaired for its high nutrient content.


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