Watershed Management Commission

Welcome to the Elm Creek Watershed!

The Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission is the regional governmental unit responsible for protecting the water resources of the Elm Creek watershed, located in Hennepin County, Minnesota. We invite you to browse our site using the tabs above. For your convenience, the links below provide quick access to commonly requested information. Please check back often as updates are made frequently.

10 Things.png Ten Things You Can Do to Improve Minnesota’s Lakes and Streams brochure now available.

This brochure was developed as a direct result of responses received from a recent survey of watershed residents who were asked about the measures they were willing to undertake and how much they were willing to pay to protect and clean up the lakes and streams in the area.

Homeowners are already taking some individual steps to improve water quality, such as using phosphorous-free fertilizer, keeping the streets free of lawn clippings and leaves, and redirecting their downspouts. However, there is interest and willingness to go even farther by planting rain gardens, installing rain barrels, and using more native plants in their landscaping. The brochure expands the list of things that every resident can do.

Results of the survey showed that clean water in Minnesota’s lakes and streams is very important to Minnesotans. More than three-quarters of the homeowners contacted said clean water was very important, even when they consider all the other important issues facing their communities. In fact, those homeowners were willing to pay, on average, an extra $4.78 per month tax or fee increase just to clean up the surface water in local lakes and streams. Almost 80 percent of those surveyed believe everyone should pay for protecting water quality in our lakes and streams, not just the property owners who live on the lake.

The survey, conducted by Decision Resources, Inc., was sponsored by members of the Joint Education and Public Outreach Committee (EPOC). The members include representatives from the Bassett Creek, Elm Creek, Pioneer-Sarah Creek, Shingle Creek and West Mississippi Watershed Management Commissions. The Joint EPOC coordinates both general Commission education and outreach as well as NPDES Phase II education and public outreach activities for the cities in the member watersheds. The Committee meets quarterly, and reviews and advises the Commissions on education and water quality grants, NPDES activities, educational messages and collaborative activities that advance the public’s knowledge and awareness of water resources issues in the northwestern suburbs.