Clean Water Strategy

'Score The Shore' Evaluations were completed at several waterbodies this past summer. The goal of the initiative was to evaluate shoreland health and habitat conditions to establish the current state of shoreland health and identify opportunities for protection and restoration.

The detailed reports for each waterbody are available in the online Water Resources Library. Access the library from www.EdinaMN.gov/1331/Water-Resources and navigate to the 'Score The Shore' folder.

A healthy shoreland area plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy lake—it helps filter runoff, reduce erosion, support aquatic habitat, and buffer human impacts.

Upland and Shoreline Zones

• Don’t mow down to the shoreline. Leave an unmown buffer of at least 5 feet. Better yet, install a native plant buffer. Bonus: the vegetation may deter geese from hanging out in your yard.
• Plant native trees and shrubs. As they grow, they provide privacy, shade, and habitat.
• Replace turfgrass with native plants. Once established, native plants require less maintenance than turfgrass while providing attractive blooms and habitat for butterflies and birds. Visit BlueThumb.org for resources including plant lists, design templates, and a Plant Finder search tool.

Aquatic Zone

• Protect aquatic plants. Native aquatic plants are vital to lake and pond health, and removal is regulated by the DNR. Remove only what you need for open water access.
• Leave woody debris. These provide habitat for wildlife such as turtles, ducks, wading birds, and aquatic insects, such as dragonfly larvae.

Protecting and improving shoreland health is critical for maintaining a health lake. You can further prevent water pollution at its source by taking these actions.

• Eliminate or reduce use of lawn chemicals and winter deicing salts containing chloride. These products may have unintended consequences in a lake. Excess nutrients from lawns can contribute to algae blooms. Chemicals, including chloride from deicing salts can be harmful to aquatic life.
• Clean up dog waste. As it degrades, it releases nutrients and bacteria that can end up in the lake.
• Sweep up grass clippings and leaves from your driveway and street. Rain washes whatever is on these surfaces into a stormdrain which empties into the lake or nearby pond. These are one of the most common sources of nutrients in urban areas. Compost the material or dispose through your yard waste hauler or at a yard waste dump site.
• Adopt a storm drain. Adopt a drain in your neighborhood and keep it clear of leaves, trash, and other debris to reduce water pollution. Sign up at www.adopt-a-drain.org.

At their September 2nd meeting, City Council approved a scope of work for technical services associated with coordination and planning for sediment treatments in select lakes and ponds as part of implementing the Clean Water Strategy vision.

The field component of the Score the Shore project is complete. We'll work on formatting the data and creating maps to share with people before the end of the year.

'Score The Shore' is a standardized evaluation tool developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to evaluate shoreline habitat quality.

A healthy shoreline plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy lake—it helps filter runoff, reduce erosion, support aquatic habitat, and buffer human impacts. This shoreline evaluation project will help to target shoreline restoration and protection projects and outreach.

Shorelines adjacent to the following waterbodies will be scored;

• Lake Cornelia
• Lake Edina
• Mill Pond
• Arrowhead Lake
• Indianhead Lake
• Highland Lake
• Lake Nancy
• Melody Lake
• Mirror Lake
• Otto Pond

A summary of outcomes will be available by the end of the year.

Water quality monitoring will begin this month at Lake Nancy, Otto Pond, Melody Lake, and Highlands Lake. The goal is to establish a baseline condition in these waterbodies which could inform future management actions. This complements the monitoring already underway by others at Arrowhead Lake, Indianhead Lake, Mirror Lake, Lake Cornelia, Lake Edina, Nine Mile Creek, and Minnehaha Creek.

Earlier this week the City Council adopted the 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Plan which included funding for several Clean Water Strategy initiatives. Staff will begin scoping these up over the next several months.

Here's what's on the docket for new/expansion in 2025:

• Expand street sweeping
• Establish a monitoring program to augment the efforts of our watershed district partners
• Establish a fisheries management plan to augment the efforts of our watershed district partners
• Feasibility study and prioritization for sediment phosphorus control treatments

Updates will be provided on this page.

Staff have proposed expanding existing and adding new programs to advance the Clean Water Strategy in the 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Plan. The City Council will consider adopting the 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Plan at their December 17th meeting.