Red Wing Lock and Dam upgrade

Dean, in your opinion, what is this going to do to pool 4?

star trib lock and dam

Quote:

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construction will begin before the design is completed,

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This bothers me.

Not that I’m Dean, but it’s hard to have an opinion when they don’t know what they are going to be doing.

The Corp of Engineers have been proposing this for a few years now. They want to extend the upstream wall and build up the bank on the WI side above the dam. Just looking over that way it’s easy to see that this area could be washed away during flooding. This would then bypass the dam and there would be all sorts of problems.

I’m not a eagle guy either…but it sure seems that there are enough trees for the 100’s of eagles there…even if they took out a mile of the WI shore line.

But I do feel IMO from boating there a lot, something will have to be done…and fairly soon.

A little more info…

Lock and Dam 3 is a navigation dam and lock on the Mississippi River 6 miles upstream from Red Wing, Minnesota. Its position on a bend in the river makes downbound navigation difficult because of an outdraft current that tends to sweep towboats and barges away from the lock toward the gated part of the dam. The outdraft current has resulted in many accidents, including 11 incidents since 1968 when tows collided with the gated part of the dam.

A related problem is with the low and weak embankments on the Wisconsin side. Navigation accidents can render the four roller gates inoperable, resulting in overtopping and erosion of the embankments. The three Wisconsin side embankments divide the 8-foot head at the dam into three steps and work together as part of Lock and Dam 3. Failure of the embankment system could result in accidental drawdown of Pool 3 with significant economic and environmental consequences.

Status

The Record of Decision was signed on April 3, 2007, and endorsed by Corps Headquarters. It approved a project to address the navigation safety problem and strengthen the embankments. The Office of Management and Budget made a positive determination of budgetability on May 5, 2008.

The recommended plan includes strengthening the Wisconsin embankments and constructing an extended landward guide wall with channel modifications to improve navigation safety.

The District is progressing with designs on all features and is developing plans and specifications for the initial stage of construction on the embankments. Construction of the spot dikes on the upstream portion of the project is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2010. Environmental mitigation is required to restore 313 acres to floodplain forest. Acquisition of real estate is ongoing; approximately 110 acres of eligible land has been purchased.

Authority

The Upper Mississippi River Nine-Foot Channel Navigation Project was authorized as part of the Rivers and Harbors Act approved July 3, 1930.

Fiscal

Total project construction cost is estimated to be $78,600,000. The estimated benefit-cost ratio is 1.4.

Allocation History – The total allocation through fiscal year 2008 reflects a 50/50 contribution from the Corps Construction, General (CG), appropriation and the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF).

http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/default.asp?pageid=86

More about the land purchases…

Questions and Answers

* Q1 – Why is the Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, buying land in Pierce County, Wis.?

A1 – Mitigation is required by law whenever a construction project results in the unavoidable loss of habitat. The Corps has to correct an embankment problem on the Wisconsin side at Lock and Dam 3 that will result in a loss of habitat in Pierce County. Land acquisition is needed to mitigate this loss and is required by the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958 (16 UCS 662 and 663).

* Q2 – How does the Corps of Engineers anticipate acquiring the mitigation land?

A2 – The Corps is working with the Wisconsin DNR to identify willing sellers of eligible land. If you are a landowner in Pierce County, Wis., and believe you have land that would qualify and are interested in selling, contact the Corps’ St. Paul District Real Estate Division, Marcia McCloskey, at 651-290-5401 or 1-800-290-5847 ext. 5401.

* Q3 – How much land is needed?

A3 – The Corps needs to purchase at least 313 acres of land from willing sellers and restore it to floodplain forest. At present, 78 acres have been purchased. The lands under consideration for purchase are cultivated or fallow farmland within the floodplain. The intent is to restore these areas to a floodplain forest ecology through tree plantings.

* Q4 – How much is the Corps paying for the land?

A4 – Willing sellers will be paid the appraised value of the land, which is based on values from sales of similar properties in the area. State licensed and certified appraisers prepare and review these appraisals.

* Q5 – How does this land acquisition affect the Pierce County tax rolls?

A5 – Once the land is purchased by the federal government, it is not taxable by the county. The county does receive an annual payment in lieu of taxes, through a program run by the Bureau of Land Management. The Payment In Lieu of Taxes Act of 1976 as amended (31 USC 6901 et seq) authorizes this annual payment.

* Q6 – Who will own and manage the land?

A6 – The federal government will own the land. The Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will manage the land. After the floodplain forest is restored, management responsibility of the land may be turned over to the Wisconsin DNR under a real estate lease agreement. Under this scenario, the Wisconsin DNR would then manage the property as a state wildlife management area.

* Q7 – Will the public be able to use this land?

A7 – The land will be open to the public for limited recreational use, such as wildlife viewing, fishing and hunting. Access to planted areas may be restricted for a few years to allow the plantings to establish.

http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/default.asp?pageid=86&subpageid=436

Overall,checks & balance I guess.Change is tougher when you get older,but I am sure people felt the same way when the original L&D system was put into place as well as the nuke plant.

I would like to see a compromise on the amount of shoreline that is to be reconstructed.

Good job on the research, this has all been on public record but many did not follow it, you covered many bases with the answers to many upcomming questions

I think my cousin has way too much time on his hands!!

I’ve been following this for a couple years…on and off.

Favorite Ido Cousin, George wants to talk to you…something about a paint brush this winter.

Do either of you lock folk know if they will have to close down the lock or the dam for this?

Might sound like a stupid question, but I couldn’t find an answer.

Not a whole lot of information on it yet. It sounds like it may not start until after nav season this year and it’s not supposed to affect river traffic, but don’t hold your breath.

Thanks BkC!

From my understanding of this project……fisherman that fish below lock and dam #3, will say why on earth did we ever allow this to happen! The wisconsin shoreline below the dam will be forever changed to look like a rock/cement wall and destroy some prime spawning/fishing habitat…..in exchange for what?????????? somebody’s corn field that will be allowed to become a swamp and be called “pristine” again…..????

I will say, I don’t know what has been changed in these plans, if any….but I did a walkthrough of the land going to be affected hosted by the corps, and attended by the MNDNR, WIDNR, USFWS, PCA’s, and various local gov’s agencies, and it seemed like a travesty what was planned! They have been trying to do this for over 10 years, but lacked funding, now that Obama has given an open checkbook to spend spend spend….AKA “Stimulus Plaln” they now have the monies needed to move forward.

My opinion is that there is a need to address safety concerns with the outdraft and the WI shoreline dike below the dam, but their proposed method of fixing is overkill. They could achieve their goal without the total destruction of the shoreline! Just my opinion. I have a feeling I will be TELLING my son, Gavin, about the good old days of Red Wing, rather than letting him experience it for himself.

I received this email from Dan Wilcox from the corps today if anybody is interested in attending.

Lock and Dam 3 Stakeholders,Two public meetings about the project will be held soon. The firstwill start at 5:30 P.M. on September 29 at the Diamond Bluff Township Hall,W9870 290th Ave., Hager City, Wisconsin. An official public hearing about theproject and Corps permit application to the Wisconsin DNR will begin at 6:30P.M.The second public meeting will start at 6:30 P.M. on September 30 atthe Red Wing Public Library, 225 East Ave. Red Wing, Minnesota. You are welcome to attend, learn about the upcoming construction workat Lock and Dam 3, ask questions and let us know about any concerns.A description and documents about the Lock and Dam 3 project areavailable on the St. Paul District Internet site at:http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/navigation/default.asp?pageid=86If you have questions about the project, please contact Ms. TerryWilliams at 651-290-5517, email: [email protected] Dan Daniel B. WilcoxFisheries BiologistEnvironmental and Economic Resources BranchSt. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of EngineersSibley Square at Mears Park190 5th Street East Suite 401St. Paul, MN 55101Telephone: 651-290-5276