East Chaska Creek Bank Stabilization

Estimated Timeline: Winter 2019/2020 Estimated Cost: $132,990

East Chaska Creek, located in the City of Chaska, has a watershed of approximately 9,841 acres across Carver County. The creek has been identified by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) as impaired for aquatic life by fish bio-assessments and turbidity and for aquatic recreation by fecal coliform bacteria. Water from East Chaska Creek including the sediment it carries eventually enters the Minnesota River, which has also been identified as impaired. East Chaska was identified as a source of sediment entering the Minnesota River in 2012.

In 2015, the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District (LMRWD) completed a detailed erosion assessment of East Chaska Creek and published a report in early 2016: East Chaska Creek Restoration Project (Burns & McDonnel, 2016). The study identified multiple areas of erosion along East Chaska Creek and provided recommendations and cost estimates for channel stabilization projects. The study also identified several locations where maintenance is needed to mitigate small, localized issues. Channel stabilization projects included larger areas of eroding banks and channel instability. Since the 2016 East Chaska Creek report, the City has completed stabilization projects along a portion of East Chaska Creek, starting at Crosstown Boulevard and extending approximately 1,500 feet downstream.

The LMRWD submitted the project for funding under the metro-area watershed-based funding pilot program offered by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. Several engineering techniques were used to stabilize the banks and prevent further erosion of the channel while reducing sediment to the river. Construction of the LMRWD stabilization project was completed in 2020. Stabilization of East Chaska Creek will make water cleaner and healthier for the wildlife that relies on these waterways while also protecting City infrastructure like roads and trails.

Public Information Handout (May 2020)

Strategic Resources Evaluation (SRE) (HDR, Inc., 2015)

East Chaska Creek Restoration Project (Burns and McDonnell, 2016)

January 2019 Memorandum (Barr Engineering 2019)