Wilkinson BMP and Restoration

Quick Facts:

  • Wilkinson Lake is impaired for nutrients.
  • Wilkinson Lake receives water from land in 5 cities (North Oaks, White Bear Township, White Bear Lake, Vadnais Heights, and Lino Lakes), 5 upstream lakes (Birch, Tamarack, Black, Amelia, and intermittently Gilfillan), and a total of 3,115 acres.
  • Wilkinson Lake is a strategic location where several waterways come together. Water flows from Wilkinson into Deep and Pleasant Lakes.
  • The project will be located on land owned by North Oaks Farms (DBA North Oaks Company) and is also part of a Minnesota Land Trust Conservation Easement.

Funding:

Grant funds (60% of project cost) are through US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 319 funds administered by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) with a 40% match that is being shared equally between VLAWMO and the North Oaks Company (NOC).

St. Paul Regional Water Services worked with VLAWMO to fund early site sampling and investigation to inform design through a source-water protection grant with the Minnesota Department of Health (2021).

Reason for Project:

  • This project is the first in an anticipated series of projects that will work together to improve water quality and reduce nutrients to improve this impaired waterbody.
  • The project site was selected because it is a key location that brings nutrients into Wilkinson Lake.
  • Wilkinson Lake has an established Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report that provides modeled load reductions needed to improve the lake. The TMDL can be found here.

Construction:

Houston Engineering, Inc., has provided the 60% design plans to VLAWMO and project partners. The design plans will continue to change as they are completed. The current draft design is shown below.

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Project Image Gallery

60% Design page and grading plan only.jpg

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Search projects

Birch Lake Aquatic Invasive Species Efforts

Efforts to remove Eurasian Watermilfoil and Curly-leaf Pondweed

4th and Otter Woodland Restoration

A woodland restoration at a key location adjacent to Birch Lake in White Bear Lake.

Birch Lake Sand-Iron Stormwater Filter

An iron-enhanced sand filter at the intersection of 4th St. and Otter Lake Road. The filter helps reduce nutrients entering Birch Lake with stormwater runoff.

Birch Lake North Shoreline Restoration

A 150 foot stretch of lakeshore on Birch Lake, in White Bear Lake was improved in the summer of 2010. In 2011-2012, an additional 700 feet of shoreline was restored on either side of the original planting area.

Charley Lake Channel Restoration

The channel between Charley Lake and Pleasant Lake in North Oaks was showing signs of serious erosion.

Deep Lake Channel Restoration

This project will restore approximately 125 feet of shoreline in the Deep Lake Channel, just before it enters Pleasant Lake. The project will be completed in Fall 2015.
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