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Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District

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Lower Riley Creek Ecological Restoration

About the project

The vision for this project is to provide an ecologically diverse stream reach that significantly reduces streambank erosion, provides diverse habitats, and enhances the public’s access and their understanding of why stable stream systems are important. 

Riley Creek is unhealthy due to high levels of sediment in the water. There is active erosion occurring along the creek because of increased stormwater discharge. If nothing is done, the creek will continue to erode the streambanks and surrounding slopes, picking up more sediment. The Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District with the City of Eden Prairie and the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District are working together to stabilize and enhance the creek. You can help by implementing water friendly practices that decrease stormwater runoff. Together, we can make a difference in the health of Riley Creek.

Commonly Asked Questions

Will the bridge connecting Sky Lane to the trail be installed?

Yes, the City of Eden Prairie will be installing it at the same time the restoration is performed.

What type of equipment will be going down?

It will be up to the contractor to determine specific equipment to use and how many of each type of equipment; however, the District anticipates the equipment will include one or more backhoes, skid steers, dump trucks with rocks going down to the creek. Equipment could also include, but not be limited to, one or more front end loaders and bulldozers.

Where will your access point be?

The District is looking at possibly using trail entrances at Sky Lane and Cedarcrest Rd as well as entering through the utility easement on Tilia Ridge.

View potential access points

Will there be a special assessment?

No. Money for this project comes from all the residents in the watershed district and have been levied for the past three years.

When will the work be performed?

The District anticipates the bulk of the work to be done late Fall 2018 – Spring 2019 with a break when soils are frozen and hard to work with. We will closely monitor for the following two years to see if adjustments are needed.

Project Factsheet

Project Location

Project Resources

PROJECT UPDATE
October 2019 
Work on the Riley Creek Restoration and Stabilization Project is starting!  Some trees have been marked as they will be coming down as part of the project.  We worked hard to keep our impacts low but a few trees need to be taken down and brush removed to stabilize the creek.  Rest assured that these will be replaced with native plants and trees.   Please note that equipment will begin using the trail starting next week.

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