2019 - Cook County Culvert Inventory

This project will create a culvert inventory in Cook County, Minnesota. The inventory will include the minimum data required in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources ?Stream Crossing Basic Assessment Form? to be consistent with inventory work being done statewide and in other CWF grant projects such as the Lake County culvert inventory. Additional attributes will be collected as requested by collaborating groups. Data will be available through the Minnesota Geospatial Commons and through a web-based map on the county website. Surveys will be completed by SWCD staff and partnering agencies in a strategic fashion to efficiently collect data. A culvert inventory is critical to understanding where problematic culverts are located throughout the watershed, the impacts they are having to water resources and which culverts have the highest priority for replacement. While the watersheds in northeast Minnesota contain some of the least-polluted waters in the state, development and climate change pose an increased threat to aquatic resources if culverts are not installed, retrofitted, or replaced properly. Stream crossings represent points where the natural environment intersects the built environment. Incorrectly sized and placed culverts have a multitude of negative environmental and structural impacts including road erosion, unsafe road crossings, catastrophic failures during heavy rain events, back watering, scour pools, barriers to aquatic organisms, erosion and sedimentation into waterways, and degraded aquatic habitats. The data provided by this inventory is needed to inform decisions on culvert replacement and prioritization by considering the impacts to water quality, stream stability, aquatic organism habitat and passage, road stability, and public safety. This inventory will accelerate the implementation of on-the-ground water quality projects as local agencies will have the data and they need for a prioritized method of culvert replacement to begin.