Lambert Creek/Ditch 14 Maintenance

Quick Facts:

Fall, 2020: Maintenance was conducted on approximately 700 ft of Lambert Creek/Ditch 14 to improve drainage and remove accumulated sediment. The location of this maintenance was between Oak Creek Drive and East Vadnais Lake.

Fall, 2021: Maintenance conducted on approximately 2,400 ft of Lambert Creek/Ditch 14 and 70 ft of Branch Ditch #5 to improve drainage and remove accumulated sediment. The location of this maintenance was from Edgerton Street to the end of Pennington Place where Lambert Creek exits the Lambert Lake wetland area.

Funding:

Funding for this effort was budgeted from VLAWMO 2020 capital improvement projects. 

Reason for project:

This project was prioritized according to a 2018 Hydrology and Hydrologic (H & H) modeling study conducted by Houston Engineering as well as upstream flooding issues on the ditch. This study with a recording of a summary presentation can be found on the VLAWMO website here. The project locations are high priority areas for dredging due to the large volume of sediment accumulated at these sites. 

Construction:

Fall, 2020: A culvert was lowered under the Ramsey County Parks trail, an out dated St. Paul Regional Water Service (SPRWS) weir removed just upstream of East Vadnais Lake, and ditch dredging to the as-built condition (ACSIC). See the ACSIC (As-Constructed and Subsequently Improved Condition) highlighted in green in the slideshow below. Dredging occurred from East Vadnais Lake to just downstream of Oak Creek Drive. Work and access took place on SPRWS property entering from the trail access on McMenemy Street, with no road closures to Oak Creek Drive. The recreation hiking trail on the East Side of East Vadnais lake was closed during project construction. 

Fall, 2021: Ditch dredging to the as-built condition (ACSIC). Tree and brush removal occurred along the ditch for site access. Trees, mulch and dredged material were placed on the south side of ditch at the top of the bank. When the dredging was complete along the targeted creek length, the material was leveled, seeded, and covered with straw. Erosion control blankets were used in areas with steep access points to the creek.

Permits for the project were issued from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Army Corps of Engineers (CORPS), and Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) for this work. For Fall, 2020, liability contracts were signed with Ramsey County and the SPRWS. 

See slideshow below for photos and project maps.

Results:

Fall, 2020: The pre-existing culvert beneath the Vadnais/Sucker Lake Park trail was lowered approximately 1.5ft, an outdated weir removed, and 700 ft of Lambert Creek/Ditch 14 was dredged approximately 1.5ft to the as-built conditions. Dredged material was permitted to be placed on-site along the creek.

Fall, 2021: Excavated approximately 2,700 linear ft of Lambert Creek/Ditch 14 from Edgerton Street to the end of Lambert Lake meander just east of Pennington Place in Vadnais Heights. The creek water level dropped approximately 1 ft after completion of maintenance work. Additional results include:

• Removal of 1-2 ft of sediment in the creek channel, observable increase in creek flow

• Removal of fallen trees within the banks

• Tree clearing along the north and south side-slopes of the ditch to remove existing deadfall and reduce future obstructions from falling trees

• Installation of bank stabilization practices to mitigate failing banks

• Cleared trees and dredged material placed on-site and leveled

• Disturbed areas and channel banks seeded and covered with straw

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Project Image Gallery

Fall, 2020: 

Fall, 2021:

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