Rum Riverbank Stabilization Projects - How are Things Looking?

ACD staff recently boated the Rum River to review potential riverbank stabilization and in-stream habitat sites, which provided an opportunity to assess a few previously installed stabilization projects. Each site was stabilized with hard armoring at the bottom of the slope (where vegetation will not grow due to frequent water level fluctuation) and native vegetation on the upper banks. The sites have remained stable, and vegetation has established to provide riparian habitat value within the Rum River Corridor.

 For more information contact Mitch Haustein, Shoreline and Stormwater Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Golden Lake Proposed For Removal From State's Impaired Waters List

The proposed removal of Golden Lake from Minnesota's impaired waters list was highlighted in a recent Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) article that underscores the importance of Clean Water Funds (CWF) for measurable water quality improvement. ACD secured two CWF grants for iron-enhanced sand filters (IESF) to reduce phosphorus reaching Golden Lake, located in Circle Pines, MN. Iron-filings mixed throughout the sand, capture phosphorus from stormwater passing through the filters. One IESF was installed in Centennial Green Park (2015) in the City of Blaine, and the other was installed in the City of Circle Pines (2019). Both projects were identified as cost-effective phosphorus reduction options in a Golden Lake stormwater retrofit analysis completed by ACD. 

The proposed delisting of Golden Lake is a testament to the hard work and collaboration by many, including ACD, the City of Blaine, the City of Circle Pines, and the Rice Creek Watershed District. Mitch Haustein, ACD's Stormwater and Shoreland Specialist, assisted with the projects and was interviewed for the article. Click here to read the full article from BWSR that also includes brief stories about proposed delistings for 6 other Twin Cities area lakes, 1 Wright County river reach, and 1 Winona County stream segment.

For more information contact Mitch Haustein, Stormwater & Shoreline Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Students Involved in Stream Biological Monitoring

Each season, local high school students venture to a nearby river or stream, grab a dip net and pair of waders, and search for invertebrates (a mix of aquatic insects, crustaceans, bugs, snails, worms, and other critters lacking a backbone) living amongst the submerged rocks and vegetation. They bring their catch back to their partners on shore, who use guides to identify the invertebrates or preserve them for identification at a later date in the lab. In 2023, ACD staff led 560 high school students across 20 classes and 5 schools in these "biomonitoring" efforts. Besides being a great way to get some fresh air, students learned valuable lessons in aquatic ecology. 

Individual aquatic invertebrates have different sensitivities to environmental disturbances such as contamination and habitat loss. Some, such as stonefly and mayfly nymphs, often have a strong negative reaction to disturbance, while others, such as leeches, midges, and aquatic worms, are usually more tolerant and able to persist through a variety of conditions. Understanding these tolerance thresholds across species is an efficient way to broadly assess the health of a waterbody. For example, a high quantity and/ or diversity of species including those considered "intolerant" (sensitive) is a likely indicator of healthy habitat and water quality, whereas the presence of only more "tolerant" species hints at poorer water quality and habitat. Biomonitoring data is often paired with other information, such as water quality or stream morphology data, to identify where aquatic impairments are present and management efforts should be pursued.

After the students have finished collecting and processing samples, ACD staff re-identifies them and summarizes the data in the annual Water Almanac. Through this, big-picture trends in invertebrate communities (and stream health, by extension) can be explored across time. For more information contact Breanna Keith, Water Resource Technician, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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The Power of Grassroots Fundraising & Partnerships

Congrats to the Martin Lakers Association on their efforts to improve water quality. At their recent annual meeting 81% of member households contributed $7,000 to the group's Water Quality Fund.23 households gave $100 or more. Of this amount, $3,000 was a match provided by the Wally & Nancy Olson family in memory of Nancy. The Martin Lakers Association has used the funds to partner with the Anoka Conservation District on numerous projects including stormwater pond enhancements, rain gardens, carp management, and more that have approached $1M.Lake associations, citizen groups, and landowners are critical partners of ACD in most of what we do.  

For more information contact Jamie Schurbon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 763.434.2030 x210 

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Private Well Water Testing

Unlike city water, water from private wells is not tested unless the homeowner tests it, which all are encouraged to do. To make it easy, Anoka County Public Health and Environmental Services Department offers testing. The homeowner collects the sample and delivers it to the government center in Anoka. Test kits can be picked up at most city halls. Costs are about $17 for each contaminant, with nitrates and coliform bacteria as the usual minimums to test. 

For more information see www.anokacounty.us/water.  

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Water Quality Improvement Project Highlights - 2022

- Carp are an invasive species that degrade water quality. ACD coordinated the removal of 14,518 carp from Martin and Typo Lakes to improve habitat and water quality. Project partners included the Sunrise River WMO, the Martin Lakers Association, and Linwood Township.

- Twelve rain gardens were installed to improve water quality by reducing volume and pollutants in stormwater runoff before it reaches priority waterbodies. Project partners included landowners, the Cities of Anoka, Fridley, and Ramsey, the Lower Rum River WMO, and the Rice Creek Watershed District.


- 14 lakeshore stabilization projects were installed throughout Anoka County. The projects reduce shoreline erosion and provide wildlife habitat. Partners included landowners, the Sunrise River WMO, the Rice Creek Watershed District, and the Upper Rum River WMO.

- Eleven streambank stabilization projects were completed on the Rum and Mississippi Rivers. These sites have had significant and accelerating erosion issues due to sustained high water and increased recreation on the rivers.

- Over 5,000 linear feet of Cedar Tree Revetments were installed along the Rum River. These projects were in partnership with the Anoka County Parks Department and Conservation Corps, MN. 

- ACD partnered with landowners to provide funding assistance for the replacement of 4 failing septic systems and the sealing of 20 wells  which present a threat to surface and groundwater resources.

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Smart Salter

Salt (chloride) is toxic to freshwater plants and animals, threatens our Minnesota fishing economy and heritage, and causes expensive damage to bridges and other infrastructure. To date, 54 lakes and streams in Minnesota are impaired by chloride and nearly 40% of shallow monitoring wells in the Twin Cities area have chloride concentrations that exceed the water quality standard. 

This interactive workshop is specifically designed for local decision-makers such as city councilmembers and county commissioners and will provide action steps and recommended policy changes to reduce salt pollution in our communities without impacting public safety. Co-hosted by the Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Lake Superior Coastal Program, and We are Water Minnesota. Funding comes from the Clean Water Fund and Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund.

Register here: MPCA Smart Salting for Community Leaders Workshop Tickets, Thu, Mar 9, 2023 at 11:00 AM | Eventbrite
The learning environment for this class is an interactive online format. Instructors will teach class online in real-time. Participants will interact with instructors and other participants through live chats, polls, and class discussion using the WebEx platform. We require attendees to actively participate in the online interactive class in addition to completing a survey after attending.
Can't attend? Check out this Low Salt – No Salt Toolkit for local government.

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RAIN GARDENS FOR RICE CREEK - UPDATE

Six rain gardens will be constructed on residential properties in a City of Fridley neighborhood adjacent to Rice Creek in 2022. The properties were identified as priority rain garden locations in the Lower Rice Creek Stormwater Retrofit Analysis (SRA) completed by Anoka Conservation District in partnership with RCWD.

The priority rain garden locations identified in the SRA were used to target landowners for rain garden installation in conjunction with a mill and overlay project in the same neighborhood. Based on landowner interest, ACD provided site assessments and designs, which resulted in the six rain gardens to be installed.

Stormwater runoff that flows by each of the rain garden locations is currently piped directly to Rice Creek. Curb-cut rain gardens at these locations will provide reductions in runoff volume, total suspended solids, and total phosphorus reaching Rice Creek, Locke Lake, and ultimately the Mississippi River. Cumulatively, the contributing drainage area to the six proposed rain garden locations is nearly five acres and comprised of medium-density residential land use.

Because this area of the watershed is fully developed, large regional options for treatment are limited. The six proposed rain garden locations are optimally positioned because they have large contributing drainage areas for the neighborhood, provide sufficient space for appropriately sized rain gardens, have minimal utility conflicts, and either have appropriate underlying soils for infiltration or are adjacent to a storm drain for filtration.

ACD staff worked with landowners of the six properties to size rain gardens appropriately for each contributing drainage area and position the rain gardens in approved locations. Designs accounted for existing landscaping, yard slope, underlying soils and utilities, and landowner requests. Planting plans were also developed in collaboration with landowners to incorporate requested native species.

The project will be funded through a combination of the Rice Creek Watershed District's Water Quality Grant Program and the City of Fridley. The landowners will be responsible for ongoing maintenance of the rain gardens.

Watch for additional updates as the rain gardens are installed in 2022. To see other rain gardens already installed throughout Anoka County, please see the virtual project tour on ACD's website. 

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Removed from Minnesota Impaired Waters List: West Branch Sunrise River!

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recently released their update of the State's impaired waters list, which occurs every two years. Among the success stories was the West Branch of the Sunrise River in Anoka County and Chisago County. This stretch of river has officially been removed from the impaired waters list, thanks in large part to efforts of the Anoka Conservation District!

The portion of the river from Martin Lake to Pool 1 was listed as impaired for high pH. High pH was due to high nutrients and algae in Martin Lake just upstream. ACD's work Martin and Typo Lakes has led to pH returning to acceptable levels. 

Work at the upstream lakes has been ongoing for more than 10 years. It has included rain gardens, stormwater ponds, and carp management. Both Martin and Typo Lakes have improving water quality trends, and Martin Lake has on average met state water quality standards for nutrients the last five years. With additional upcoming work, ACD hopes that Martin Lake is delisted in 2023. Partners in that work have included the Sunrise River Watershed Management Organization, Linwood Township, the Martin Lakers Association, and others.

Other Anoka County waterbodies being delisted include Howard Lake and the Mississippi River from the northwest city limits of Anoka to the Rum River. Howard Lake was impaired for excessive nutrients, and the Rice Creek Watershed District has led implementation of projects to improve it. The section of the Mississippi River was impaired for fecal coliform bacteria. There, improvements may be due to a variety of work by many who care about the Mississippi, and the City of Anoka's efforts to treat stormwater locally. For more information contact Jamie Schurbon, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 763-434-2030 x210

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Minnesota’s Buffer Law

Minnesota's Buffer Law was enacted to help keep Minnesota's water clean. Buffers are also known as a riparian filter strip adjacent to a stream, river, lake, or wetland. These buffers filter out phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment. Studies completed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency show that buffers are critical to protecting and restoring water quality, natural stream functions, and aquatic habitat and life.

Buffers are required along public waterways and ditches. Public waterways include lakes, rivers, and streams. This type of waterway requires a 50-foot average buffer. Buffers of 16.5 feet are required along public ditches. The original buffer law was signed into law in 2015, and after several modifications, the deadline for implementation for public waterways was 2017 and 2018 for public ditches.

Buffers are required to be vegetated with perennials. This includes hay and forage crops such as alfalfa and clover, woody vegetation, perennial grains that can be harvested later, and prairie vegetation. This vegetation is key to helping keep Minnesota's water clean. Since 2017, soil and water conservation districts, including ACD, have worked hard to help bring all applicable parcels into compliance. The map below shows this hard work and that most of Minnesota are 94% to 100% compliant. For more information please contact Mollie Annen, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 763-434-2030 x180

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History and Management of the Rum River

Anoka Dam, October 1897

The Rum River is one of the largest rivers in Anoka County, second only to the mighty Mississippi. It starts at the outlet of Mille Lacs Lake and winds through the landscapes of Mille Lacs, Isanti, and Anoka Counties until it discharges to the Mississippi River in the City of Anoka—but many don't know about the progress this river has made to become one of Minnesota's most outstanding waterways.

To really appreciate the Rum River today, it's good to understand a bit of its history. For many decades, the Rum River served as a large scale aquatic conveyor for lumber. Large white pine, elm, oak, cherry, and maple all floated down the river from central Minnesota forests to build the homes and business of the growing Twin Cities Metro Area. It also conveyed our sewage, agricultural waste, sediment laden runoff, and industrial by-products downstream to the Mississippi River, and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.

A former Anoka County commissioner who grew up in the area once said that when he was a kid, no one would dare to even fish in the Rum River, much less swim in it. I'm happy to say, over the last 80 years, the fate of the Rum River has been wholly reversed. Today the Rum River is:

Martin's Landing on the Rum River
  • One of 6 Wild and Scenic Rivers and 35 State Water Trails in Minnesota
  • Designated as an Outstanding Resource Value Water
  • An excellent fishery and waterfowl corridor with abundant smallmouth bass and wood duck
  • Key reach for Species in Greatest Conservation Need

This isn't to say that our Rum River is in the clear. In the last 30 years, the population in the area draining to the Rum River has increased by 47%. With that many people came more roads, parking lots, and roof tops that added 74% more stormwater runoff. The increased water volume and speed that came with this extra stormwater caused the river to slice deeper into the landscape and rip apart the riverbanks. When riverbanks collapse into the river, the resulting sediment smothers the fish, amphibians, and reptiles that now call the river home. The Rum River is also increasingly threatened by road salt and nutrient pollution coming from this stormwater.

A Cedar Tree Revetment installed to stabilize a bank on the Rum River.

ACD takes a holistic approach to managing these new challenges to the quality of the Rum River. We are heavily involved with monitoring the chemistry and biological quality of the River; we assist the local Watershed Management Organizations with analysis and planning; and we implement projects with willing landowners to improve water quality and habitat in the river. ACD is also involved with guiding land conservation projects near the Rum River needed to protect habitat and water quality, and we are working diligently with other local organizations to ensure future funding for projects protecting the Rum River.

Over the coming months, we will be posting short blogs to highlight individual projects and programs that ACD has directed for the benefit of the Rum River. Check in soon at www.anokaswcd.org/blog to learn more!

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