The City of Lakeville has completed a $350,000 stormwater retrofit project at Foxborough Park designed to address flooding and water quality issues caused by decades-old development runoff.

The project, funded through a clean water grant with contributions from Lakeville, the Vermillion River Watershed and Dakota County, treats runoff from 220 acres of development built in the late 1970s before modern stormwater management requirements existed. Jeff Dunn of the Vermillion River Watershed said the unmanaged runoff previously caused flooding problems and bank erosion along North Creek.

The retrofit includes a sediment forebay that captures approximately 19 tons of sediment annually, equivalent to two dump truck loads. The system also features a sand filter bed with perforated pipes that provide additional water treatment before discharge into North Creek. The pond can store water equivalent to three Olympic-size swimming pools.

The project addresses water quality by removing sediment and debris that would otherwise enter the creek untreated. It also provides flood control by regulating stormwater flows, particularly during frequent summer storms that previously overwhelmed the creek system.

The Lakeville Public Works Department will maintain the system through regular monitoring and sediment removal from the forebay. The project represents part of ongoing efforts to retrofit older developments that lack modern stormwater management infrastructure.