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10 Miles Created October 2006 continued from page 6 level fell as much as seven and one half feet below today's managed water level. I shivered recently while boating over areas that contained trees and even tennis courts in the 1930s. Low water levels were an astounding state-wide phenomenon that we should hope will not occur again. In 1955 the Minnesota State Legislature adopted the Minnesota Watershed District Act to enable drainage districts to better control their waters. In 1967, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District was .established and its goal was, and continues to be, "to enhance the water quality of the water resources within the Minnehaha Creek watershed while at the same time controlling flooding." The district's work has since included analysis of water situations, information, education, and regulation. Although any public body that deals with the rights of private interests has the potential to stir up some animosity, the MCWD deserves high marks for working with the public to regulate their waters during the past 40 years. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD} has an atypical drainage area to manage. The management area of 128 square miles can be divided into three parts: upper; central; and lower. The upper part drains 27 square miles of western agricultural and suburban land; feeding drainage waters into Lake Minnetonka, via Six Mile Creek and Painters Creek. The Lake Minnetonka surface water distance from the extreme western edge of Halsted's Bay to the Mississippi River is 28.31 miles. The water surface distance from the inlet of Six Mile Creek into Halsted's Bay to Gray's Bay Dam is 11.28 miles. A central part includes Lake Minnetonka with its water body of approximately 14,500 acres and 125 miles of shoreline- when the water level is at 92.8.6 feet above sea level- and asurrounding direct drainage area of 21 square miles. Gray's Bay dam is a sluice dam on the eastern shore of Gray's Bay, with a legally prescribed closure of the sluice gates at 928.6 feet above sea level. Lake Minnetonka water levels in excess of 928.6 feet above sea level allow for carefully controlled release of waters into Minnehaha Creek. The only exit far Lake Minnetonka water is via Minnehaha Creek, therefore an "invisible" current of water flows gently from west to east from the lake, over the dam, into the creek, over the falls, and to the river. The lower part of MCWD drains an area of 80 square miles, including south Minneapolis, with its accumulated waters flowing down Minnehaha Creek from Gray's Bay Dam, through south Minneapolis, over Minnehaha Falls and into the Mississippi River for the oceans and seas beyond. Minnehaha Creek is 21.23 miles long via canoe from Gray's Bay Dam to Minnehaha Falls. From the bottom of the falls to the river is 0.83 miles. The creek's elevation drops about 130 feet from the dam to the top of the falls. The falls drops 53 feet and then a further elevation drop of 112 feet from the bottom of the falls to the Mississippi River occurs, for a total drop of about 295 feet from the dam to the river. The upper part flows into the central part which flows into the lower part which flows into the Mississippi River, destined for worldly dissemination. It seems nice and orderly but careful water management is essential. For example, during heavy snow melt and seasonal precipitation, too much water over Gray's Bay Dam floods residential areas downstream as poorly-designed, low-arched street bridges over Minnehaha Creek become dams and water backs up and laps at the front doors of homes. The sluice gates of the current Gray's Bay Dam help to regulate the water volume leaving Lake Minnetonka into Minnehaha Creek. Intelligent planning and control of watershed resources is very necessary and should be recognized by everyone. The MCWD has done a fine job with its district and can continue to do so with the cooperation of the communities it serves. Thank you o the Personnel o~ the 'Minnehaha Creek` Watershed District, who suPPliecl the current data ~or this artic~e. Dick Gray, founder of the Freshwater Society, has written the Passwords column since 2968. The ~ columns are based an Gray's belief that we must use our vast knowledge to work toward the preservation of .water. FACETS December 2007 iolden Valley-.