streams – East Metro Water

Two miles, three raingardens, and 100 feet of native buffer: Charting Perro Creek’s journey to cleaner water and better health

By: angiehongmn March 18, 2021March 16, 2021

Keeping water clean, Partners and UpdatesBayport, buffers, featured, middle st. croix watershed management organization, native plants, Perro Creek, raingardens, streamsLeave a Comment

Local partners including City of Bayport, the Middle St. Croix Watershed Management Organization (MSCWMO), and even area Girl Scouts have worked to reduce erosion and improve water quality in Perro Creek through a series of projects including raingardens and native buffer plantings.

What do bugs have to do with it?

By: angiehongmn January 29, 2021January 29, 2021

Aquatic Biology, Keeping water cleanaquatic macroinvertebrates, Brown's Creek, dragonflies, featured, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, odonata, streams, trout, volunteer stream monitoringLeave a Comment

One of the best measures of stream health is the amount and biodiversity of macroinvertebrates we can find in the water.

A crack in the rock & a beach in the forest

By: angiehongmn August 14, 2020August 13, 2020

Groundwater, Outdoor Adventuresfeatured, groundwater, hiking with kids, native plants, nature, Scientific and Natural Areas, streamsLeave a Comment

Crystal Spring Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) in Scandia was established just four years ago. It contains a crystalline spring that pours out of the side of a rock wall, deep in an emerald chasm.

Lending a helping hand to Afton’s Trout Brook

By: angiehongmn October 3, 2019October 3, 2019

Aquatic Biology, Keeping water clean, Local Achievements, Partners and Updates, WildlifeAfton Alps, Afton State Park, featured, habitat restoration, streams, troutLeave a Comment

South Washington Watershed District partners with Great River Greening and Vail Resorts A coldwater stream flows through the hills of Afton Alps and Afton State Park, bringing life to a valley in the woods. Over the past 150 years, Trout Brook has weathered the rise and fall of logging in region, decades of farming, and…

Salt levels are rising in Minnesota waters and it’s not just winter to blame

By: angiehongmn May 28, 2019May 28, 2019

Keeping water cleanchloride pollution, featured, Minnesota lakes, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, salt, streams2 Comments

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency would like you to think about salt, and not just because we saw snow on May 19. As chloride concentrations continue to rise in lakes, rivers, and groundwater around Minnesota, the agency is working with partners to develop a Statewide Chloride Management Plan that will help to keep our freshwater…

Brown’s Creek fish hoping for a big chill

By: angiehongmn December 11, 2018December 11, 2018

Aquatic Biology, Keeping water clean, Local Achievements, WildlifeBrown's Creek, Brown's Creek Watershed District, designated trout stream, featured, science, streams, thermal study, trout1 Comment

This is a story about trout. It’s also a story about local history, changing landscapes, and people trying to do the right thing. Somewhere in the wetland dappled landscape near the now-closed Withrow Elementary, water begins to gather and form a stream we now call Brown’s Creek. The stream flows through soggy fields in Grant…

Celebrate water and nature at Brown’s Creek Park – Sept. 29

By: angiehongmn September 25, 2018September 25, 2018

Partners and UpdatesBrown's Creek, Brown's Creek Watershed District, family fun, featured, Minnesota trails, streams, troutLeave a Comment

He’s standing in an open field, late November, and the sun is glowing through the goldenrod and bluestem. Sun kissing son. There are times like this when the natural world is so beautiful, I want to open my eyes just a little bit wider and etch the memory into my heart. When the Brown’s Creek…

Secrets to success: Cleaner water and healthy landscapes

By: angiehongmn July 10, 2018

Keeping water clean, Local Achievements, Partners and Updatesclean water, featured, Minnesota lakes, streams, Washington Conservation District, Washington County, Watershed DistrictsLeave a Comment

It shouldn’t be a secret, but you might be surprised to learn that 49% of lakes in Washington County have improving water quality. Trout are surviving and may be reproducing in Brown’s Creek again. Woodbury has cut its annual groundwater use by nearly 35 million gallons in only one year, and Bone Lake in Scandia…

Statewide Feedback on Water Issues Echoes Local Concerns in East Metro and St. Croix Valley

By: angiehongmn March 8, 2018

Keeping water cleanimpaired waters, lakes, mercury, phosphorus, streams, water, watershed managementLeave a Comment

Data shows that 40% of Minnesota lakes, rivers and streams are classified as impaired, and the East Metro and St. Croix Valley are no exception.

Minnesotans Call for New Legislation to Promote Smart Salting

By: angiehongmn February 7, 2018

Aquatic Biology, Groundwater, Keeping water cleanclean water, groundwater, lakes, road salt, streams, water pollution, WaterShed Partners1 Comment

Written in partnership with Watershed Partners: http://www.cleanwatermn.org More than ten years ago, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) came to a frightening realization. After testing lakes and streams in the Twin Cities metro area, they discovered that chloride levels in many were climbing, and that some were already too salty to support fish. Further testing…