Wet Pond Modeling for Contaminant Retention and Maintenance

Summary:

Ponds and historic wetlands that collect stormwater runoff are essential for preventing excessive phosphorus from reaching downstream priority waters. Reducing the amount of phosphorus entering these systems, or limiting the release of it, can improve overall water quality across Minnesota. Investigators evaluated six strategies to reduce the movement and impacts of phosphorous and found that the most cost-effective strategy is an intense street-sweeping program that removes phosphorus-containing materials such as dirt and vegetation before stormwater runoff carries them to ponds and wetlands. For agencies already conducting street sweeping, another option to reduce downstream migration is chemical treatment with alum, which binds with the phosphorous to keep it trapped in bottom sediments.

Final Deliverables:

• Wet Pond Modeling for Contaminant Retention and Maintenance (Report #2026-18)
• Reducing Phosphorus Pollution from Ponds (Research Summary)

Related Materials:

• Reducing Phosphorus Pollution from Ponds  (Blog Post)
• Pond assessment tool and other resources  (Website)

Related Research:

Project Personnel:

Principal Investigator:  John Gulliver

Co-Principal Investigator:  Jacques Finlay, Poornima Natarajan, William Herb

Technical Liaison:  Ross Bintner

Project Coordinator:  Chad Kooistra

Panel Members: 
Dan Edgerton - Stantec
Eric Vogel - Hennepin County
Jack Distel - City of Bloomington
Jesse Carlson - City of Savage
Joe Bischoff - Barr Engineering Company
Josh Wolf - Minnehaha Creek Watershed Organization
Noah Czech - City of St Cloud
Patrick Sejkora - City of Eden Prairie
Rachael Crabb - Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board
Randy Neprash - Consultant
Sharhram Missaghi - City of Minneapolis
Terry Jeffery - Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District
Tiffany Schaufler - Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
Tom Wesolowski - City of Shoreview
Travis Thiel - Dakota County