Quick facts:

In the winter of 2005, a 2 acre holding pond was dug in the lowland basin of the Lambert Lake area in Vadnais Heights, a flow-through section of Lambert Creek/Ditch 14.

Funding:

The project was funded via a Clean Water Partnership Grant from the MN Pollution Control Agency (PCA) and from the St. Paul Regional Water Service.

Reason for project:

The construction of the pond had two main goals: flood reduction and water control, and nutrient reduction. Before the pond was installed, flooding problems existed for properties along County Road F and Lambert Creek had issues with nutrient loading.

Construction:

Lambert Lake’s basin was excavated to allow for more storage, and the south end was lined with sheet piling to hold in water. A 530-foot low-head weir (a small, overflow dam) with adjustable notches was installed and soil was excavated to create a 1.7 acre pond. The water enters the pond from the north and exits at the south by filtering through the sheet piling.

Results:

More than 10 years after its construction, Lambert Lake has been successful in reducing flooding for the previously effected homes. Also, the increased retention time for incoming water from Lambert Creek allows longer settling time for nutrients to break down, resulting in creek outflows downstream that are lesser in nutrients, and increased water quality.

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