Heifort pond is a shallow, 59-acre pond in Stillwater. It has been known for poor water quality, which the Brown’s Creek Watershed District is trying to mitigate by requiring buffer zones in newer developments and encouraging landowners to pursue stewardship grants for BMPs.
There are residential developments surrounding Heifort Pond, including two HOAs: the Ponds at Heifort Hills to the west and Heifort Hills Estate to the north. For HOA-specific resources, visit the HOA Guidance page.
Pond Stats
- OHWL: 884.0’
- Overflow elevation: 885.3’
- 100‐year HWL: 887.4’*
*highly dependent on starting water level
The Ponds at Heifort Hills
The Ponds at Heifort Hills on the west side of Heifort Pond is required to maintain a 75-foot wetland buffer between the pond and the development, which led to the creation of the Heifort Buffer Management Plan in 2021. As part of the buffer management, the HOA is planning to remove dead, diseased, and invasive trees in the buffer zone in early 2025. The Ponds at Heifort Hills also received a $15,000 Habitat Enhancement Landscape Program (HELP) grant from the Board of Water & Soil Resources (BWSR) for buffer zone enhancement beginning in 2025.
Tree Removal
During the summer of 2024, the Ponds at Heifort Hills HOA board of directors developed a buffer zone management plan that will remove dead and diseased trees and invasive plants with these objectives:
- Eliminate the risk of trees injuring people and/or damaging houses
- Enable native plants and trees to be planted in an environment that allows them to thrive
- Create a buffer zone that can be economically maintained as a sustainable area populated with native trees and plants
The buffer zone contains 100 +/- dead, dying or invasive trees that present a danger to people and homes. The HOA has contracted with Minnesota Native Landscapes (MNL) to apply an herbicide to buckthorn 2022-2024, and some large buckthorn trees were removed. Approximately 50 +/- dead or dying trees will be removed during the first quarter of 2025 (weather permitting in January 2025). The tree removal will prepare the buffer zone for implementation of the HELP project.
HELP Grant Implementation
This buffer zone enhancement is one of 12 projects receiving funding through the Washington Conservation District’s 2025 HELP grant award. The 2-acre pond buffer enhancement will remove non-native woody species and replace with native flowering trees and shrubs, building off the initial planting plan developed by BCWD in 2021. By December 31, 2024, the HOA board and WCD/BCWD will have signed an agreement for acceptance and implementation of HELP program in the buffer zone. All work is to be completed by December 31, 2026, at which point the HOA will maintain the native buffer zone.
Related Documents
Heifort Hills Estate
Heifort Hills Estate on the north side of Heifort Pond had originally developed a maintenance plan in 2020, but work is still ongoing to develop a healthy buffer. Part of the HOA’s plan included two plant lists to help guide the planting of native woodland sedges, grasses, and wildflowers that are adapted to the moist, shadier conditions. A new management plan was drafted in 2023 but has yet to be finalized. Plans going forward aim to control and remove non-native species and to increase native tree cover. BCWD is hoping to work with the Washington Conservation District and the HOA in the spring of 2025 to fill in the buffer with new native trees.
Related Documents
Education and Events
Meeting Recording from Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023 at 12:00 -1:00 PM: https://youtu.be/o3SQGwjmTDY Sign up for a FREE site visit: Site visit sign-up – with partners at Washington Conservation District Meeting Purpose […]