Hugo County Road 8 Stormwater Reuse

City

Hugo, Minnesota

Completion Date

2020

Cost

Phase 1: $545,000
Phase 2: $729,000

Phase

Complete

Water Body

Peltier Lake

Funding Sources

Rice Creek Watershed District, City of Hugo

Partners

City of Hugo

Main goals of this project was conserving potable water and reducing downstream water volume. It involved the construction of an irrigation system retrofit and forcemain distribution system, a pump system and intake well. Phase 1 was started in early 2021 and Phase 2 started in late 2021. The project reconnected an existing irrigation system serving a 6.3 acre area along County Road 8 (Frenchman Road) to stormwater reuse, resulting in improved surface water quality through phosphorus reduction, decreased groundwater demand, and volume reduction for downstream ditch systems and Peltier Lake. The system draws from a stormwater pond adjacent to County Road 8 and Oneka Parkway.  

The project is in line with Judicial Ditch 3 and will reduce the volume of water sent downstream through the ditch and to Peltier Lake, which is impaired for phosphorus. The project increases stormwater infiltration as it is used for irrigation.

It’s estimated that the city of Hugo will divert 13.5 lbs. of phosphorus annually from downstream waters and reduce water used from surface or ground sources by approx. 4 millions gallons a year!

The total cost of Phase 1 is $545,000 and Phase 2 is $729,000. The City provided funds for any amount not covered by grant funding and also applied for outside funding sources. The City is responsible for the ownership, operations, and maintenance of the system. 

The project reduces the amount of groundwater used for irrigation, conserving groundwater resources within the RCWD.

RCWD awarded funds from the Stormwater Management Grant program in the amount of $100,000 to cost-share this project for Phase 1. 

RCWD awarded funds from the Stormwater Management Grant program in the amount of $76,000 to cost-share this project for Phase 2.