The two-year stormwater project on the north half of Columbia Golf Course is finished, and it’s a win for the environment and golfers. Squishy fairways are a thing of the past. Folks who live near the course benefit, too.
The golf course was built in 1919, and started out with just six holes and sand greens. It expanded to 18 holes in 1923. Built on a low spot that once held a very shallow Lake Sandy, it was prone to flooding.
The green infrastructure installed by the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) and the Minneapolis Park Board (MPRB) addresses the flooding and provides a way to filter stormwater before it reaches the Mississippi River. The project, which began in 2019, was funded by MWMO, the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Board of Water Resources (Clean Water Fund) and Hennepin County.
MPRB funded improvements to the playing areas, making the course a little tougher; it was par 71, now it’s par 70.
Columbia Golf Course General Manager Marc Rymer said, “It’s been one and a half years. It’s nice to have 18 holes again.”
It’s no small task to change the drainage of a 2,150-acre watershed, and the job is only partly finished; additional improvements at the golf course and in the surrounding neighborhood will occur in the future. “Most of the earthwork and landscaping is largely done at this point, but there are some additional steps before the entire system becomes fully operational,” said MWMO Communications Principal Nick Busse. “We’re currently working with our partners and contractors to make adjustments to the stormwater basins (to maximize filtration and infiltration).”
Rymer said Columbia has never looked better. “The changes have enhanced golfers’ experiences,” he said. “We have a new par 3 hole, new cart paths, new tee boxes at Hole 2, new fairways. The greens are in great shape. People are loving it.”
Let’s take a look at what’s been done:
Pre-treatment units. Installed at 35th and Tyler, Central and Columbia Pkwy. and near the parkway and 5th Street NE, these units separate and trap trash, debris, sediment, and hydrocarbons from stormwater runoff that come down from upstream neighborhoods. The “pre-cleaned” water is routed to wet ponds and stormwater basins.
Reconstructed pond. This pond, between Holes 2 and 16, was enlarged to reduce flooding on the course and to improve water quality before stormwater flows to a v-shaped multi-use field basin built next to the parking lot at Columbia Park. The pond has a combination of permanent pool storage and extended detention storage above the permanent pool. Hole 16 was lengthened to 470 yards, and is now par 4.
Multi-use field basin. This basin holds stormwater and allows pollutants to settle out through sedimentation. Water is slowly released to the main storm sewer pipe leading to the Northwest Basin, roughly between the 5th and 15th holes.
Trunk storm sewer. This new sewer line is the cause of the big gash (now covered over) that was carved through the course from Central to 5th Street. The larger storm pipe will improve drainage and reduce flooding in the upstream neighborhoods and in the golf course.
Northwest basin. The new stormwater basin in the northwest corner of the golf course comprised the major portion of the project. It captures and treats runoff from the neighborhoods to the north and the golf course and park areas to the east. It temporarily stores and infiltrates stormwater into the underlying soil. Pollutants are removed through infiltration or uptake by plants. Hole 14 was cut nearly in half to create this basin. It is now a par 3; it was a par 4. Rymer said, “They did some really neat things down there.” One of the “neat things” is a curved concrete walking path that skirts the pond. Mallard ducks and Canada geese are raising families there.
Habitat restoration. Invasive buckthorn and garlic mustard were removed, and controlled burns were done in several areas in the golf course. These areas were seeded with native vegetation the fall of 2021, and are fenced in to allow plants to grow. Once the vegetation takes hold, the fences will come down, said Rymer. “They will be non-mowing zones, and it’s going to look better year after year.”
Busse said there’s still work to be done. “Some of the final connections to the municipal storm sewer system won’t actually be made until 2023 and 2024, so any water quality monitoring efforts would take place after that. The good news is that in the meantime, people can resume using the park and golf course facilities. We should also start seeing some of the benefits of the habitat restoration/invasive species removal soon.”
Below: The enlarged pond between Holes 2 and 16 filters more water before it reaches the Mississippi River. The most extensive work on the project is the new stormwater basin near Hole 14. A curved walking path skirts the pond. Fencing will remain until new water-filtering plants are established. The new layout of the course. (Screen capture from golftraxx.com) A map illustrating the flow of stormwater runoff through green stormwater infrastructure at Columbia Golf Course and Park. (Provided by MWMO). A family of Canada geese is raising its young between Holes 2 and 16. (Photos by Cynthia Sowden)
