The South Washington Watershed District (SWWD) has laid out its priorities for the next decade with a new Watershed Management Plan addressing water quality, flooding, groundwater protection, stormwater infrastructure and the effects of continued development.
Currently in the 90-day BWSR Review period, the 2026-2036 plan provides guidance for watershed district programs, projects and capital improvements while establishing goals that can be used to measure progress. The district’s mission is “to manage water and related resources of the District in cooperation with our residents and communities.”
SWWD encompasses 71,348 acres, or about 111.5 square miles, located at the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers. The district includes more than a dozen lakes, more than 120 miles of piped and natural streams and more than 2,400 acres of wetlands.
Established in 1990s for better watershed management, communities within the SWWD include Afton, Cottage Grove, Denmark Township, Grey Cloud Island Township, Hastings, Lake Elmo, Newport, Oakdale, St. Paul Park and Woodbury. Cottage Grove accounts for the largest share of the district at 33.6 percent, followed by Denmark Township at 27 percent and Woodbury at 23.6 percent.
Continued suburban development is among the issues highlighted in the plan. Roads, parking lots and buildings increase impervious surface area and stormwater runoff, while soil compaction during construction can reduce infiltration even in yards and parkland. Development can also increase the amount of sediment, nutrients, chloride and other pollutants reaching waterways.
SWWD plans to respond by restoring native ecosystems, protecting greenway corridors, supporting agricultural best management practices and working with municipalities to improve the effectiveness and resiliency of stormwater infrastructure.
Water quality remains another major focus. Several district lakes are listed on Minnesota’s impaired waters list because of excessive nutrients or other ecological problems. In addition to reducing pollutants entering lakes, the district plans to examine ways of addressing phosphorus and nitrogen accumulated in lake-bottom sediments, which can contribute to algal blooms and aquatic vegetation growth.
The plan also identifies chloride from road salt and other sources as a water-quality concern and calls for reducing chloride-based winter maintenance products. Groundwater protection is emphasized because district residents rely on groundwater for drinking water, either through municipal systems or private wells.
Flooding projects planned during the decade include a study of the La Lake and Ria Lake drainage system from Woodbury through Newport. SWWD also plans to evaluate active water-level controls within its northern watershed and continue monitoring closed basins and areas that have experienced flooding.
Stormwater infrastructure maintenance will include using risk assessments to identify vulnerable pipes, establishing maintenance agreements with municipalities and working with homeowners associations and private landowners. The district notes that failures of pipes beneath roads and railroads can cause flooding, erosion, washouts and potentially structural failures.
The plan relies on what SWWD calls adaptive management, using monitoring and project results to revise management strategies as conditions change. Programs include planning, monitoring and modeling, regulation, water-resource projects, ecological restoration, incentive grants, stormwater maintenance, education and research.
SWWD's long-range work plan anticipates approximately $70.45 million in expenditures from 2027 through 2036. Funding will come through sources including property-tax levies, stormwater utility fees, grants and other outside funding.
Annual budgets and corresponding levies and utility fees will be established through the district's annual budget process during public Board of Managers meetings. The district also plans to maintain approximately 12 months of reserve funding and limit large year-to-year changes in taxes and fees while carrying out the 10-year plan.
Pending BWSR review, the plan will be formally adopted at the October board meeting. It can be in full detail at https://swwdmn.gov/swwd-wmp-2026-update/