Deerwood, Summer Place Associate Receive Award For Pollution Project

Courtesy of Crow Wing County SWCD. Left to Right: Jay Michaels, EOR Britta Hansen, Robert Albrecht, Crow Wing SWCD Supervisor, Pat Norby, Summer Place Association, Melissa Barrick Crow Wing SWCD, and Mayor Mike Aulie, of Deerwood.

The City of Deerwood and Summer Place Association have received an award for a joint pollution control project. Representatives were presented the 2016 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Community Partnership Award on Monday.

According to a press release, the award was given to representatives during the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation District convention.

In 2015 and 2016, the City of Deerwood, Serpent Lake Association and Summer Place Association partnered to complete a stormwater retrofit project. According to a press release, the project filters polluted runoff and helps control flooding that Summer Place residents experienced in 2012.

“This project serves as a great example of community partnership, innovative stormwater management techniques, and solving a residential flooding problem. Despite the major storms that occurred in the Summer of 2016, this project is working and thriving (June 20, 2016 and July 14, 2016 they received 11 inches of rain in 24 hours),” said Melissa Barrick, the district manager. “Without this project, residents would have been flooded and additional nutrients added to Serpent Lake.”

The city worked with Crow Wing County to have two parcels of tax forfeited land donated to the project. 16,000 square feet of additional land was donated by the city, and Summer Place Association also donated 6,500 square feet.