P2 Dredging

Looks like they are really getting after that dredging work down there on P2. I dont know how much or how long this will be going on but you wont miss it if you see it. Pretty cool prossess. I didnt take any pictures but maybe Mike or John J did??? They are using about 40 small bardges in sections to suck up the silt and pipe it out to its final resting spot on shore.

Keep in mind if you do go buy that they have bouys out in the main channel of these areas and you will want to slow down to keep the wake off them. I dont think our little fishing boats will affect much but they are there for a reason??? Looking forward to checking these areas out when they are done. Can olny believe they will do the notching on the dams as well while they are working on the area.

The were down at the head of spring lake yesterday but know that they have lots of plans for the Lions Levee area as well. I will get some pictures up next time I make it down there.

That is a cool operation to watch in action. The dredge outfit that operates down near Lacupolis on the south end of Pepin carts around their own fleet of D-Series dozers to move the sand once it hits the shore.

It is amazing to see how much sand they can move over the course of a couple days. The next time you go down there you’ll be shocked at the volume. If you get a chance, please post pics.

No, I didn’t pull out the camera… But yes, that is one big operation going on down there. Never seen anything like it!

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Keep in mind if you do go buy that they have bouys out in the main channel of these areas and you will want to slow down to keep the wake off them.

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Yes!!!! These are steel cans and riding kinda low in the water right in the main channel!! Be carefull in this area. Cans + Boat Hull = nasty ding!!!!

-J.

I did see the barges down by the lake a week ago…seemed to be getting ready. I hope they don’t move up river too soon….wouldn’t that kinda operation really screw up the fishing in the area?…at least while its going on? It would be nice if they happened to move up river during “slump-tember”.
J

Yes its pretty cool the army corps had it in downtown St Paul last summer and had an open house with tours and you could sit in the drivers seat. You got to tour the tow boat General Warren and the crew barge and the dredge Goetz. The dredge crew barge and tow boat are all brand new with in the last 2 years or so. I had some pictures some where on my hard drive.

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Can only believe they will do the notching on the dams as well while they are working on the area.

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This is something I’ve always wondered.Does the corp ever rehab wing dams or create new ones?

They gave tours of the dredging equipment last year in St. Paul. It was very cool to see the equipment up close and all the controls that operate the equipment.

Here are some photos. The dredging did not affect the fishing in the area. It was still pretty good. Now parking one of their barges on my main trolling run. That did affect my fishing. Hope its not there for long.

The last photo is the business end of the operation. The dredge move slowly lefty to right and back and forth I guess sucking up the bottom. The hole time all the piping is still connected. The piping runs a fair ways up river of the dredge and then runs to shore. The bottom is pumped out on the shore line where there is a backhoe and I think a front end loader moving it around.

I did not get any photos of the support barge parked about a half mile down river from this one. IT is larger than the dredge and houses the workers. There is also a fair amount of piping barges and supply barges with it. This barge is even bigger than the dredge.

This operation is located about 5 miles south of Lions Levey on pool 2 near the upper part of Spring lake.

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Can only believe they will do the notching on the dams as well while they are working on the area.

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This is something I’ve always wondered.Does the corp ever rehab wing dams or create new ones?

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They seem to do work on area’s every year from what I have seen. Not to often has it been wingdam though. They have removed/changed at least a half dozen plus that I know of over the last 9-10 years but cannot vouch before then. Most the work has been shore line areas and rehab to erosion and flooding. The river itself will always be changing from this and because of that alone there is always work to be done. What they are doing this year is different from anything I have ever seen !!! I myself am 100% with them and really excited to be able to fish the results of what they are doing. There are a few wingdams that are notched in an areas but nothing like these guys are planning on doing. My dog and I sat on shore and watched a bardge run right over a killer wingdam one day. It used to top out in a little 20′ area at 4.25 ft in low flow and now might hit 5.75??? Since it is an ok Mid/high flow dam but sucks in low flow. Anyways just saying between situation like that or erosion you dont need the corps out there to change things.
I do not have the link on the floor plans that someone had posted last year about this project but if anyone has it let me know or post it back up here.
It was a very good read and IMO in the long run has very good intentions. There will never be any good “long term” way to keep the silt build up away but us as anglers can learn alot from this!!!. In the past some areas have really responded to the changes and it has KILLED other spots just as well??? Overall I think the fish have come ahead here on P2

Very cool.
I always thought the dredging was done by mechanical methods with a backhoe, clamshell, and dragline. This hydraulic method is amazing.

Dredging basics PDF..

http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/docs/projs/emp/4%20Dredging.pdf

Here is a short video clip. Gives you a better idea how big this operation is. Looks like they had everything shut down for the weekend. The mountain of sand/mud on shore is amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h71VjeY3bI

-J.

Dam. Thats a big dog Jon. The video looks great. There didnt look to be much going on down river where all the support barges are parked and the crew barge is at either.

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I do not have the link on the floor plans that someone had posted last year about this project but if anyone has it let me know or post it back up here.

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Thanks Jason!!! thats the one

Funny, I sat and watched the dredging operation for about two hours last night….

It’s true too. Read it on Snopes.

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Funny, I sat and watched the dredging operation for about two hours last night….

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yeah but you said you had beer!! so it must have been interesting.

Only 4 so I had to ration myself.