New informational series aims to clear up facts surrounding Hiawatha Golf Course Property Master Plan
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) has spent a great deal of time studying conditions at Hiawatha Golf Course as part of an effort to create a sustainable plan for the course following catastrophic flooding in 2014.
Conditions related to groundwater are complex, so as work on the Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan continues, it’s important to take a step back and review basic facts informing the work of the MPRB and the Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan Community Advisory Committee.
 A map showing existing conditions at the Hiawatha Golf Course Property created as part of the 2017 Water Management Alternatives Assessment. Click or tap to view a larger version online.
Due Diligence on Data
- The MPRB has spent more than $400,000 studying water management at Hiawatha Golf Course since 2015. No other organization has spent as much time or money investigating groundwater conditions in this area and working to understand its impact.
- The MPRB engaged professionals with expertise in engineering and hydrogeology to gain an understanding of how water moves through and under Hiawatha Golf Course.
- The MPRB hired a firm known for its knowledge of water resources and recognized as one of the premier engineering and environmental firms in the Midwest.
- The firm assigned professional water resources engineers, civil engineers, hydrogeologists, ecologists, environmental scientists, and other design professionals to the MPRB’s efforts.
- The firm’s early work was peer-reviewed by a highly-recognized University of Minnesota professor and hydrologist.
- The MPRB sought out other entities knowledgeable about water resources and hydrology: The City of Minneapolis Surface Waters and Sewers Division, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. All contributed significantly and independently to the MPRB’s work and none indicated the work provided by the MPRB’s consultant is deficient, incorrect, or in any way unsatisfactory.
- The groundwater and stormwater assessment work completed in 2017 resulted in a number of studies, one of which is the Water Management Alternatives Assessment. That study lays the water management foundation for the master plan design process currently underway.
- The assessment evaluated existing conditions along with five additional water management alternatives to understand impacts from modifying current water management in the golf course area. Follow the link below to read the full report:
Hiawatha Golf Course Area Water Management Alternatives Assessment [PDF]
Future Topics
More emails will be set out regularly as part of this informational series on the Hiawatha Golf Course Master Plan. Those topics include:
- Groundwater Pumping and Dredging
- The Master Planning Process
Links
Current Project: Hiawatha Golf Course Property Master Plan project page
Water Study: Hiawatha Golf Course Groundwater/Stormwater Pumping Assessment project page
To
learn more about this project and others, visit www.minneapolisparks.org/planning.
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