NEWS RELEASE
Oct. 29, 2012
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
MVP-PA-2012-106
Contacts:
Shannon Bauer: 651-290-5108, 612-840-9453, [email protected]
Patrick Moes: 651-290-5202, 651-366-7539, [email protected]
George Stringham: 651-290-5201, 651-262-6804, [email protected]
Corps solicits public comments on proposed fish passage project
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and the city of Drayton, N.D., are hosting a public meeting to discuss a potential fish passage project at Drayton Dam on the Red River of the North. The meeting will be held Nov. 15 at the Hastings Landing Restaurant, 909 N. Main St. There will an open house from 6-8:30 p.m., with a presentation at 7 p.m.
The Corps of Engineers is proposing to implement fish passage at Drayton Dam as a mitigation feature for the proposed Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn., Metropolitan flood damage reduction project. The flood risk management project could potentially impact fish of the Red River, and fish passage at Drayton has been proposed to reduce potential adverse effects.
The state and federal agencies working together on this project believe that Drayton Dam may be adversely affecting aquatic life in the Red by blocking the ability of fish to migrate upstream.
The Corps’ St. Paul District has been working with the city of Drayton, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Fargo-Moorhead project sponsors, which are the cities of Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., to study options for fish passage at this dam. After thorough discussion with these groups, a tentative plan to construct a new rock rapids fishway 300 feet upstream of the existing Drayton Dam and removal of the existing dam was selected.
The Nov. 15 meeting will be an opportunity to present this plan, outline some of the concerns considered in its development, solicit public input and discuss with the public any issues or concerns that remain with the project. The meeting will also outline funding and potential schedule for the project. More information about the project can be obtained by contacting Carol Gardner, city of Drayton at 701-454-3590, or Elliott Stefanik, Corps of Engineers at 651-290-5260.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, serves the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. It contributes around $175 million to the five-state district economy. The 700 employees work at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states. For more information, see http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil.
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