Western Shorewood Stormwater Drainage Plan

The Western Shorewood Stormwater Drainage Plan is the most expensive series of public works projects in Shorewood history. This plan has not been properly vetted, the cost vs. benefit has not been analyzed, alternatives have not been considered and, most disturbing, the backers are intent on leaving Shorewood residents in the dark.

Cost Overview

At a cost of over $5.5 million, Shorewood’s Western Stormwater Drainage Plan will tax the wallets of Shorewood taxpayers and continue the City’s policy of draining Shorewood of its natural heritage of woods, wildlife, and quite green neighborhoods.

Here's how the City plans to spend $5.5 million+ of our taxpayer money

An industrial project in a park and a residential neighborhood

The first phase of this massive and destructive project, Smithtown Pond, began this year. Hundreds of mature trees have been cleared to make way for the excavation of three deep stormwater collection ponds. One of the ponds is located in Freeman Park and two at 26345 Smithtown Road directly north of the regional trail. Gone forever are the shady, cool woods that make a walk or bike ride along this part of the LRT trail so enjoyable for hundreds of South Lake residents.

An old grove forest gone forever

Why is the City of Shorewood doing this?

Shorewood, for decades, has refused to hold developers responsible for stormwater runoff created by their construction projects.

Developers claim, of course, that their projects are environmentally benign, and the politicians continue to roll over. But when things go wrong – city taxpayers pick up the tab. The Western Shorewood Stormwater Plan is a prime example. The developers are counting their profits while Shorewood residents are stuck with the consequences.

A stormwater remedy might be justified in this part of Shorewood, but this plan is too big, too expensive and too destructive. The City “sold” this project based on flood control and water quality improvements. Be wary of false advertising. This project hasn’t been subjected to serious financial or benefit review or a second opinion from a disinterested independent third-party.

For example, “flood control” claims amount to little more than a hunch-that, after big rain events, street and yard ponding in neighborhoods near Freeman “might” be reduced. There is little quantification of benefits and there is no promise of success.

Is this the right investment for Shorewood?

Organizations, public or private, begin big capital projects by evaluating costs and benefits, but not the City of Shorewood. Instead of examining a problem and looking for the most cost effective and least intrusive solution, the City invites a firm to design a project that is hugely profitable for the contracting firm. Most institutions, other than the most gullible, understand this and rigorously begin with a review of the proposed design and costs and obtain second and third opinions from independent third-parties. But that’s not how Shorewood politicians work. The result of this ‘head in the sand” approach is a financially bloated, over-designed, neighborhood disrupting project. And that precisely describes Shorewood’s Western Stormwater Drainage Plan.

Smithtown Pond Drainage

Natural Water Flow

This photo shows the natural flow of water from Freeman Park and the proposed Smithtown Pond project (in red). The water travels over a mile through a series of creeks, natural ponds and wetlands before emptying into Lake Minnetonka near the west end of Edgewood Road.

Devastation in progress

The stump remains of a mature tree on the edge of the area.

The pictures above document Shorewood City Hall’s waste of our natural and financial resources. With limited citizen input and no public hearing, the City clear-cut a property containing one of our last remaining old grove forests to create industrial-sized holding ponds.

Shorewood residents value our natural setting of mature trees. Clearly City Hall does not. We need to change our City government where residents are part of the decision process so that Shorewood does not evolve into another cookie-cutter suburb.