Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District

06/04/2026

We're excited to have local artist Kim Boustead join us at our Watershed Pop-up this Sunday! Kim will be walking visitors through the ancient art of Japanese water marbling. Suminagashi, meaning “floating ink,” is created by dropping ink onto water and transferring the design onto paper. It is a meditative, artistic process dating back to the 12th century, known for creating organic, intricate designs.

Stop by Lake Ann Park this Sunday, June 7th from 11-2 to try it for yourself and take home your design!

Photo by Suminagashi artist decoroiolab

05/28/2026

Hennepin County is seeking applicants for the board of managers for the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District (RPBCWD). Position will begin on August 1, 2026. All applicants must live within RPBCWD (rpbcwd.org/map).

Five managers govern the RPBCWD, which manages, protects, and restores water resources. Four managers are appointed by the Hennepin County Commissioners and one by the Carver County Commissioners. Managers serve three-year terms.

Learn about this board that conserves natural resources through land use, flood control and other scientific principles for the protection of the public health and welfare.

05/15/2026

It's Creek Week time! 🎉

Join us for our 4th Annual Creek Week, June 7th - June 13th. Creek Week celebrates the 3 creeks, 13 lakes and 25 parks within our 50 square mile watershed and the recreation opportunities they offer. There's something for everyone in this week-long bash!

Join us for our 4th Annual Creek Week, June 7th - June 13th, 2026. Creek Week celebrates the 3 creeks, 13 lakes and 25 parks within our 50 square mile…

05/12/2026

RPBCWD is continuing our series of meetings about the development of holistic watershed and lake management plans for the Mitchell, Red Rock, Ann, Lucy, and Susan sub-watersheds. The first round of meetings were held on February 26 and March 5. Registration for Meeting 2, covering the results of the modeling and identification of potential projects, is now open!

Meeting 2 has two options to attend over the next couple of weeks. Option #1 will focus on the sub-watersheds of Ann, Lucy, and Susan lakes, and will be held May 21st at the Chanhassen Civic Campus. Option #2 will focus on the sub-watersheds of Mitchell and Red Rock lakes, and will be held May 28 at the Eden Prairie Community Center. Please only register for one option -the content of the meetings will be the same, just with a different sub-watershed focus.

Learn more and register for a meeting at rpbcwd.org/systems-approach.

04/24/2026

Staff have begun installing water level sensors on the 13 lakes within the district. These pressure sensors are mounted inside a protective PVC pipe and attached to a post in the water, and a staff gauge is mounted to the post to help staff determine water surface elevation. Once the water elevation is established, the sensors record continuous water level monitoring data every 15 minutes until we remove them in late fall.

We use this lake level data to develop and update our District models, which are used for stormwater and floodplain analysis. Monitoring the lake water levels can also help to determine the impact that climate change may have on lakes and land interactions in the watershed.

As a bonus, while installing the first sensor this morning, staff got to share Lake Ann with a visiting loon.

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 There are so many ways to show your appreciation for our beautiful planet, and one of our favorite ways is by planting native plants. Native plants protect water quality by increasing stormwater infiltration and reducing soil erosion, provide food and shelter for wildlife, and even help combat climate change by pulling carbon from the atmosphere. Even a small patch of native plants in your yard can have a big impact.

This Earth Day, check out our Mini-Cost Share program to see if you're eligible for $500 towards a native planting project.

The RPBCWD Mini-Cost Share Rrogram funds small native planting projects at a 95% cost share. Residential applicants, including renters, are eligible for up to $500 towards their project.

04/16/2026

Spring really is here!
Once ice clears, our team performs delineations on our lakes. These photos show early growth Curly-leaf Pondweed, a common invasive aquatic species, collected on Red Rock Lake. These delineations provide a snapshot into vegetation growth on the lake by collecting samples with a double-sided rake.
This method informs herbicide treatments, which are used to reduce and control invasive plant populations. When invasive species are controlled, there is more room for native plants to flourish!

04/15/2026

Come see us this Saturday at the Eden Prairie Eco Expo! We'll be at the mall from 10-5 with information on our cost-share program, resources to help with your native planting project, as well as activities for the whole family, including our life-size AIS Inspector activity with our sampling boat. After, stop by the raffle table for a chance to win our donated rain barrel. See you on Saturday! https://www.epecoexpo.org/

On April 18th, Eden Prairie Community can experience hands on climate action, from agricultural education to live pollinator exhibits at the the Eden Prairie Eco Expo
Location: Eden Prairie Center
Time: 10am-5pm
Date April 18th, 2026