LAKE MINNETONKA
LAKE MINNETONKA
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025
MCWD: Quality water, quality life
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District was first established in 1967 and since then, has continued to control and protect all of the water that drains into Minnehaha Creek, a whopping 178 square miles. Lake Minnetonka is only one part of the watershed, but a big part of it. The watershed was created because of the flooding along the Minnehaha Creek and Lake Minnetonka. One of the district’ s first tasks was constructing a dam where Lake Minnetonka meets the Minnehaha Creek.
The Gray’ s Bay Dam has many management goals, including reducing flooding by controlling the lake’ s discharge into the creek, keeping water in the creek during dry periods, enhancing recreation, wildlife and aquatic life, maintaining or improving water conditions as well as aesthetics.
The district completes these goals by using an operating plan developed alongside local, state and federal partners. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and local communities approved this plan.
When fall arrives, Lake Minnetonka is brought down to an elevation of 928.6 feet. Lowering the elevation allows the lake to be used as a storage basin. The district moderates the pace and adjusts discharge rates into Minnehaha Creek as a flood prevention measure.
The National Weather Service, U. S. Geological Survey and Hennepin County are all partners in responding to record flooding, handling future unpredictable weather and climate change.
The purpose was to improve predicting rain events and understanding how they impact water levels. Each leg of the partnership offers customized data to help the district operate the dam and prevent lake and creek flooding.
The National Weather Service offers weather forecasts and lake level predictions, U. S. Geological Survey has real-time water level information and Hennepin County gives real-time precipitation information collected by a network of weather stations.
For more information, visit minnehahacreek. org / water-levels.
LAKE MINNETONKA | COMMUNITY GUIDE | 2025 | 45