Mustinka River Rehabilitation Project

The Mustinka River Rehabilitation Project will focus on constructing Phase 2 of the Redpath Project, a significant capital improvement project identified in the Bois de Sioux-Mustinka Comprehensive Water Management Plan (CWMP) which will result in meeting the plan goals to address altered hydrology effects. The proposed Project will construct a 300-foot wide, 260 acre floodplain corridor with 8-mile meandering channel focused on natural channel design. In addition to the stream rehabilitation, the project will provide approximately 34 acres of constructed wetland habitat and 226 acres of native upland buffer areas within the stream channel and associated floodplain areas, permanently protected by the District. Approximately 30 water quality side inlets will be installed at targeted areas along the corridor to provide additional water quality benefits to the rehabilitated reach.

This project is estimated to reduce sediment loading to the impaired reach of the Mustinka River by 253 tons/yr and phosphorus by 72 lbs/year. This will result in achieving 21% of the overall short-term sediment reduction goal and 19% of the phosphorus reduction goal for the entire Lower Mustinka and Twelvemile Creek planning region as identified in the CWMP. Rehabilitation of this river will meet 35% of the plan goal to stabilize priority reaches to decrease excessive erosion and channel sediment accumulation. This Project meets many goals identified in the CWMP, and is one of the largest proposed capital improvement projects listed.