The Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District (RWMWD) is organizing a project to restore multiple shorelines on Lake Owasso in coordination with their Stewardship Grant program. Stewardship Grants cover 100 percent of eligible project costs up to $15,000 per property and include professional design, installation, and two years of maintenance. Priority will be given to project areas that connect multiple properties, so we encourage you to speak with your neighbors about this opportunity. While the east side of the lake (Horseshoe Dr, Woodbridge, & E Owasso Ln) is scheduled for restoration in Spring 2022, this opportunity will be extended to all Owasso shoreline property owners within the next few years.
Shoreline restorations provide many benefits, including:
- Capturing pollutants in rainwater runoff
- Enhancing and restoring native plant communities
- Providing wildlife and pollinator habitat
- Preventing shoreline erosion
- Reducing the chemicals and maintenance needed to maintain a traditional turf yard
This program does not cover the cost of beach restoration, rip rap installation, and large tree removal. However, we can incorporate these items into the overall site design and indicate which areas would be the homeowner’s responsibility.
To schedule a site visit or seek more information, contact paige.ahlborg@rwmwd.org or (651) 792-7964. Be sure to include your name, address, and email address in your message.
2022 Project Update
This year’s project involves the shoreline buffer restoration of 10 residential properties that have been damaged by prolonged high water levels. Combined, the total restoration area is approximately 0.39 acres, with individual sites ranging from 855 square feet to 3,270 square feet, with an average project size of 1,681 square feet. The project scope includes site-wide management for invasive and non-desirable species, bank and shoreline stabilization, and revegetation using a combination of native seed and plant plugs. The purpose of completing this work is to establish a diverse, natural shoreline buffer, as well as provide wildlife and pollinator habitat, runoff interception and filtration, competition for invasive species, and landscape aesthetics. Individual site design and revegetation components were developed for this project based on needs for shoreline use by landowners; in addition to, important site circumstances such as elevation, remnant plant communities, and anticipated soil and hydrologic conditions.
Site preparation for the project will begin in the summer of 2022. Stabilization of upland soils and vegetation will shortly follow, allowing the contractor to closely monitor water level elevations for timing and favorable conditions to install plants. The overall project is expected to be substantially completed by the fall of 2022. Long-term monitoring and maintenance for all individual project sites will continue beyond the completion date, for the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons. The cost estimate for the proposed project is $169,112.
- RWMWD awarded the shoreline restoration project to Landbridge Ecological.
- Landbridge is currently working with a tree contractor to schedule tree removal. Tree removal is always a last resort in projects like this but unfortunately there a number of trees that need to be removed to make these projects successful. Most of these are scrub trees, but there are a handful of fairly significant trees that will be lost.
- Landbridge is also working to schedule survey work. The surveyors will mark key project elevations, and then we’ll be able to flat project boundaries so homeowners can visualize what their project area will look like.
Future Phases
Based on RWMWD’s assessment, the areas highlighted on the map below will tentatively be targeted in this priority order: yellow, red, green, and finally blue. Most likely one colored area per year, but this is a rough planning estimate at this point. Plans can and will change based on available resources. Please direct any questions or comments to Paige at paige.ahlborg@rwmwd.org or (651) 792-7964.
More resources:
- For more information about shoreline restorations and their benefits, please watch this recorded presentation for the Shoreview Environmental Speaker Series regarding the project on Snail Lake in Shoreview.
- To see how your well your current shoreline helps protect water quality try taking this quiz from Minnesota Lakes & Rivers
- See RWMWD’s list of contractors who offer native shorline restoration services.
- View RWMWD’s interactive map which shows where current and past restoration projects are near you.
