St. Paul District Seeks Comments On Pool 4 Dredged Material Plan

The St. Paul Engineer District is seeking public comments on a new dredged material management plan and Environmental Assessment released March 22 for the Mississippi River’s Lower Pool 4.

The draft plan describes what the Corps proposes to do with the dredged material, or river sand, once it’s removed from the Mississippi River navigation channel near Wabasha, Minn. If approved, the new plan would ensure that Corps officials can economically manage dredged river material for at least the next 20 years, while protecting the environment. The updated plan is the culmination of extensive collaboration with the city of Wabasha to develop shared solutions for managing the river sand within the community.

“I am grateful to Mayor Emily Durand for her leadership and vision, and the city of Wabasha staff for their teamwork and collaboration leading up to this point,” St. Paul District Commander Col. Kal Jansen said. “The working relationship between the city and the Corps has unlocked an innovative approach for keeping vital commercial navigation traffic flowing on the Mississippi and empowers the city to help manage river sand in ways that benefit the community. I’m proud of our Corps team for listening to community concerns and committing to identifying alternate approaches that are locally acceptable. Our proposed plan symbolizes the power of partnership.”

The updated management plan includes one the Corps calls a “win-win option,” a river sand partnership agreement, also known as a Section 217 agreement. The agreement, while non-binding, allows the Corps of Engineers to partner with Wabasha to help manage the river sand.

A public meeting to discuss the new plan and to receive public comments is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 13 at the Wabasha-Kellogg High School, 2113 Hiawatha Drive E., Wabasha, Minn.