A potentially promising tool for improving water quality may be made available in Pool 2 via The Army Corps of Engineers. ACOE periodically undertakes navigation channel maintenance projects by dredging material from the river bottom in the main channel and relocating it. In several Mississippi River pools down river, these materials from the dredging process have been recycled to create islands and other structures which help improve water quality by reducing wind fetch (the wave action that stirs up sediment). Friends of Pool 2 will work to ensure that the placement and design for any newly created islands are carefully considered in order to positively impact wildlife and at the same time serve the best interests of recreational users.
Friends of Pool 2 would like to see the next 20 years show a marked improvement in the water quality in our section of the Mississippi.
The St. Paul Engineer District, in partnership with Minnesota’s Ramsey County, awarded a $14.7 million contract June 25 to LS Marine Inc. of St. Paul, Minn., to restore habitat on Pigs Eye Lake, located in upper Pool 2 of the Mississippi River.
The project will enhance and restore backwater habitat by creating island and wetland features on Pigs Eye Lake using more than 400,000 cubic yards of material dredged from Pool 2 of the Mississippi River by the Corps during maintenance of the navigation channel. The material will be moved about 12 miles, according to Taylor Luke, president of LS Marine, which is headquartered in Stillwater, Minn. The contract includes the placement of riprap and willow plantings to protect against erosion.
The project features, including island construction with sand benches, marsh habitat restoration and terrestrial planting, are designed to reduce wind and wave action to improve vegetation, create thermal shelter for waterfowl and protect against shoreline erosion. The total project footprint will be approximately 40 acres and will provide benefits to more than 600 acres of Pigs Eye Lake and the surrounding habitat.
Work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 with additional monitoring and management to follow.
Friends of Pool 2 would like to see the next 20 years show a marked improvement in the water quality in our section of the Mississippi.
The St. Paul Engineer District, in partnership with Minnesota’s Ramsey County, awarded a $14.7 million contract June 25 to LS Marine Inc. of St. Paul, Minn., to restore habitat on Pigs Eye Lake, located in upper Pool 2 of the Mississippi River.
The project will enhance and restore backwater habitat by creating island and wetland features on Pigs Eye Lake using more than 400,000 cubic yards of material dredged from Pool 2 of the Mississippi River by the Corps during maintenance of the navigation channel. The material will be moved about 12 miles, according to Taylor Luke, president of LS Marine, which is headquartered in Stillwater, Minn. The contract includes the placement of riprap and willow plantings to protect against erosion.
The project features, including island construction with sand benches, marsh habitat restoration and terrestrial planting, are designed to reduce wind and wave action to improve vegetation, create thermal shelter for waterfowl and protect against shoreline erosion. The total project footprint will be approximately 40 acres and will provide benefits to more than 600 acres of Pigs Eye Lake and the surrounding habitat.
Work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 with additional monitoring and management to follow.