Organization Adaptation Award 2023
"The Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District is honored to receive this award and appreciates MCAP’s recognition of the important climate adaptation work occurring across the state."
The District prioritizes future climatic changes in its recently-adopted 2022-2031 watershed management plan, embarking on a coordinated floodplain vulnerability assessment and greenway corridor planning effort, and implementing projects to increase floodplain storage and provide multiple environmental and social benefits. Under its previous 10-year watershed management plan, the District partnered with local communities to implement projects resulting in the creation of 65 acre-feet of floodplain storage, restoration of 185 acres of wetlands, preservation of 77 acres of natural upland, and annual removal of over 3,700 pounds of phosphorus to improve water quality.
By prioritizing climate change adaptation in its current 10-year plan, the District has made a firm commitment to achieving associated climate resiliency goals over the next 10 years. These goals include creating an additional 99 acre-feet of floodplain storage, improving community preparedness and emergency response capacity to flooding problems, implementing a greenway corridor which will improve landscape resiliency, and restoring 400 acres of wetlands. The District’s next step is to complete a comprehensive floodplain vulnerability assessment -- an effort which will be coordinated among local communities, neighboring watershed management organizations, and technical experts.