OUR WATERSHED
Seven lakes. Three cities. One watershed.
Everything that flows over the land in Orono, Long Lake, and Medina eventually ends up in Long Lake — and from there, into Lake Minnetonka and Minnehaha Creek.
The Long Lake Creek Watershed is the headwater for Lake Minnetonka and Minnehaha Creek. That means the choices made on lawns, driveways, and farm fields miles from the shoreline shape the water clarity, fish health, and recreation we all enjoy.
Long Lake is currently listed as water-quality impaired — but the science is clear, the partnerships are in place, and the path forward is real. Our work, and the work of our partners at the MCWD, is designed at the scale of the entire watershed.
KNOW THE BOUNDARIES
The Long Lake Creek Watershed
Seven lakes — School, Holy Name, Wolsfeld, Dicky's, Lydiard, Long, and Tanager — connected by streams and wetlands across Orono, Medina, and Long Lake. Every drop of rain and snowmelt within these boundaries flows toward Long Lake.
Map by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. Aerial photography © ESRI, 2016.
Blue-green algae — the visible symptom of excess nutrients in the watershed.
WHY IT MATTERS
The watershed is the work.
Algae blooms, lost water clarity, and impaired fisheries don't start at the shoreline — they start with what flows across the land. Restoring Long Lake means restoring the whole 7,619-acre watershed that drains into it.
RESOURCES
Downloads
Carp Management Summary
Five-year project overview, results, and next steps.
Homeowner Stewardship Guide
Simple things every lakeshore neighbor can do to protect Long Lake.
Have a document we should share here? Email longlakewaters@gmail.com.