The Pond Assessment Tool 1.1 is Ready

Thousands of ponds are used for stormwater management in Minnesota cities, providing the crucial function of runoff detention and removal of phosphorus (P) and other pollutants. Assessment of pond performance is needed to determine if management and maintenance could improve function. The Local Road Research Board (LRRB) and the Minnesota Stormwater Research Council (MSRC) funded projects at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota, to develop a spreadsheet-based Pond Assessment Tool (Janke et al. 2023; Natarajan et al. 2025), built on the results of several years of intensive data collection (water samples, water chemistry, sediment phosphorus release, aggregation and characterization of supporting datasets). Version 1.1 is ready for you!

A Request for Knowledge

Researchers at the University of Minnesota are studying the cost effectiveness of stormwater pretreatment and optimal design parameters for pond forebay cells. We are looking for information on recent pond maintenance, excavation, and dredging. Ideally we would like to have cost, time and materials information on stormwater pond forebays, but are interested in any information you may have available. If you have an upcoming project, we would also be interested in that as well.

Please contact John Chapman at chapm155@umn.edu if you have questions or information to share.

Please join us in person or online on October 9, 2025 at 10am (US central time) for the next Minnesota Stormwater Seminar Series events - a monthly experience featuring national, state, and local experts on stormwater and green infrastructure.

Enhanced Street Sweeping: America's First Line of Defense in the Abatement of Urban Stormwater Pollution

Speakers & Panelists:

• Keynote Presenter: Roger C. Sutherland, PE; Principal, Cascade Water Resources, LLC
• Panelist: Maggie Karschnia, Water Resources Center, University of Minnesota
• Panelist: Paula Kalinosky, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• Panelist: Randy Neprash, Neprash Consulting, LLC and Minnesota Cities Stormwater Coalition (MCSC)

Abstract: In late 2019, University of Florida researcher, Dr. John Sansalone, completed a comprehensive 12-year study involving 14 Florida MS4s. Even though the study did not differentiate whether submitted data was produced by air sweepers or mechanical (i.e. broom) sweepers, the combined results were still astounding and, at the same time, confirmed what I believed to be the case as early as 1975 and have been teaching for more than four decades: Street sweeping should be considered the first line of defense for removing pavement-based stormwater runoff pollution degrading our nation’s waterways. Come learn more about this game-changing study, my personal journey, and what defines an “enhanced” street sweeping program and the benefits it can provide.

DATE & TIME: Thursday, October 9, 2025, 10a - 12p US Central

In-person: St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Auditorium (2 Third Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN)

Online: https://z.umn.edu/mn-stormwater-seminar-series (active 10 minutes prior)

Registration: Click here to Register

About the MN Stormwater Seminar Series:

The Minnesota Stormwater Seminar Series is a monthly experience featuring national, state, and local experts on stormwater and green infrastructure. This seminar series is a partnership between the University of Minnesota's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and Water Resources Center, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. This seminar comprises national experts on advanced stormwater innovation and knowledge sharing what they've learned; experts and researchers from Minnesota who have recently completed or are working on innovative and high priority stormwater research; and national, state, and local experts sharing their practical experiences on the state-of-the-science topics that are important to Minnesota practitioners. The Series is made possible by the Minnesota Stormwater Research and Technology Transfer Program in collaboration with the Minnesota Stormwater Research Council and supported through an appropriation from the Clean Water Fund established by Minnesota Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment.

See the full schedule here or visit our YouTube Channel for all recordings.

Recent Seminars (YouTube Channel):

• Performance and Maintenance of Sand Filters Amended to Retain Phosphate featuring John S. Gulliver, St. Anthony Falls Lab & University of MN, and local experts.
• Managing Stormwater Ponds for Optimal Function: Characterizing Phosphorus and HAB Export, Plus a New Tool for Prioritizing Maintenance Needs featuring Katie Hembre (Stantec), Dr. Poornima Natarajan (UMN SAFL), and local experts.
• Using Winter Chloride Management to Reduce Impacts of Winter Maintenance Operations featuring Laura Fay, Montana State University, and local experts.
• Turning tight spaces into big solutions: testing a high-volume stormwater filter at Rosland Park featuring Andy McCabe, Barr Engineering, Erica Sniegowski, Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, and local experts.
• Extreme Weather Impacts Across the Water Sector Sunny Wescott, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Chief Meteorologist and Federal Emergency Response Official and local experts.
• Assessment of urban stormwater chloride and its impact on surface water trends featuring Dr. Ben Janke, Dr. Jacques Finlay, and local experts.
• Funding and technical assistance for stormwater management and green infrastructure featuring Robyn DeYoung, US EPA; Travis Ostrom, US EPA, and local experts.
• Moving towards multi-functional stormwater management systems featuring Lauren McPhillips, Penn State University, and local experts.
• Watershed-scale effectiveness of green stormwater infrastructure featuring Aditi Bhaskar, University of Colorado Boulder, and local experts.
• Emerging policy issues that may influence future stormwater management efforts featuring Chris Kloss, U.S. EPA, and local experts