Villa Park Improvement Project
Maintaining Wetland Effectiveness
The Villa Park wetland is located within public space in Roseville upstream of Lake McCarrons. The wetland includes a system of weirs, or low dams to regulate water flow, which are designed to remove phosphorus and solids from stormwater before it enters Lake McCarrons. Since 2004, CRWD and Ramsey County Public Works have monitored the system to measure its effectiveness. Because weirs impound water behind them and alter the flow regime of a wetland, they can have an effect on the local ecology. After initial monitoring was completed in 2006, CRWD identified performance issues that needed to be addressed.
“Careful maintenance of stormwater projects is critically important for preserving water resources in the District. With Villa Park, our monitoring and research alerted us to problems, allowing us to be able take corrective action.” – Bob Fossum, Research and Monitoring Division Manager by CRWD.
The Solution
This project, led by CRWD and coordinated with the City of Roseville, is a key component of the city’s master plan for Villa Park. The main goal of the project was to improve water quality treatment of the Villa Park wetland system by removing accumulated sediments in the ponds and wetlands. The work included dredging approximately 20,000 cubic yards of soft, accumulated sediment, dewatering the sediment in two designated park areas, hauling the dewatered sediment to a landfill, and restoring the construction areas. The project also disabled historic drainage tile and managed vegetation in the wetland to improve water flow and quality. Construction of the Villa Park Wetland Weir System was one of the first large capital improvement projects undertaken
