Upper Prior Lake is set to come off the state’s impaired waters list this fall
Upper Prior Lake is on its way off Minnesota’s impaired waters list, according to a staff report for the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District board’s Aug. 18 workshop. The lake was added to the list for nutrients in 2002. In early 2025, after several years of monitoring showed sustained water quality, the district applied for removal, and in spring 2026 the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced its recommendation to take the lake off the list for nutrients.
The staff report says the district has been completing water quality improvement projects on the lake for over 20 years, and that the final step, approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is anticipated this fall. Staff have prepared a communication plan for that day: press releases, social media and website announcements, and a future delisting celebration or ceremony. The workshop item was discussion only, with no vote.
What's next: EPA approval of the removal is anticipated this fall, the staff report says. The district plans a public announcement and a celebration when it comes.