Lamplighter Pond Improvement Projects

St. Louis Park, MN

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Lamplighter Pond is scheduled for routine maintenance as part of the city’s ongoing effort to provide stormwater runoff treatment. The maintenance project will include sediment removal and carp harvesting.

Additionally, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and the City of St. Louis Park constructed a filtration system at Northside Park, which is downstream from Lamplighter Pond. This measure will increase the effectiveness of stormwater treatment to reduce pollutants.

Lamplighter Pond sediment removal

Latest updates

June 20, 2024

Due to the unseasonably warm winter 2023-2024, the city postponed the Lamplighter Pond Maintenance project until winter 2024-2025. Frozen conditions are necessary to protect the pond and the surrounding habitat from the impacts of heavy equipment needed to carry out the project.

Project details and background

Lamplighter Pond was significantly expanded in the early 2000s to restore the pond to its function as a stormwater holding basin and improve its aesthetics.

Lamplighter Pond has been functioning well since it was expanded. However, in the last few years, sediment deltas became observable in a few areas of the pond. A performed survey determined a large amount of sediment that needs to be removed for the pond to continue to effectively eliminate pollutants and to maintain storage for stormwater runoff.

Sediment removal will include drawing down the water levels for about two feet and replacement of a small retaining wall in the southwest corner of the pond.

Public engagement

Survey crew in the area notification - June 2, 2023

Work beginning on Lamplighter Pond mailing - Dec. 12, 2023

Project delay mailing - Jan. 30, 2024

Project postponement mailing - March 8, 2024

Carp harvesting

Carp harvesting is anticipated to be completed after the sediment removal project is finished, tentatively in summer 2025.

Project details and background

Lamplighter Pond is a valued resource that has been a part of the Minnesota DNR’s Fishing in the Neighborhood program, stocking game fish for many years. However, over the past few years, more common carp have been observed in the pond than game fish. Common carp are a significant driver of poor water quality. They forage and root around in pond sediments where nutrients, like phosphorous, are reintroduced to the water and become available for algae.

Public engagement

Survey crew in the area notification - June 2, 2023

Northside Park water quality filtration system

Latest updates

May 31, 2024

Northside Park project is substantially complete and operational.

We will continue to monitor the vegetation restoration.

Project details and background

During the expansion of the Lifetime Fitness facility in St. Louis Park in 2018, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) issued a variance for the stormwater management permit allowing Lifetime to provide an escrow instead of construction stormwater management facility on their side. This was done due to the Lifetime Fitness facility’s site limitations.

The escrow affords the MCWD the right to use the funds to provide stormwater treatment within the Twin Lake subwatershed to meet the water quality treatment needed for the Lifetime Fitness site redevelopment.

Since approving the variance in 2018, MCWD and city staff have worked to identify locations for stormwater treatment within the Twin Lake subwatershed. It was decided that the preferred BMP (best management practice) would be a Contech Storm Filter (CSF) system to be installed on the west side of Northside Park. The CSF unit is an underground concrete vault that is 8 feet wide, 14 feet long, and 6 feet tall and uses a filtration media cartridge to remove pollutants from stormwater runoff.

Public engagement

Survey crew in the area notification - May 2, 2023

Project start letter - Feb. 8, 2024