St. Louis River Area of Concern program support - bathymetry data inventory

State resource agencies are implementing a delisting strategy for the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC) by completing the Remedial Action Plan (RAP). A suite of 80 management actions in the RAP were developed to address specific Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI) identified throughout the estuary. Removing these legacy impacts often involves restoring historically altered habits by manipulating sediment characteristics, restoring shoreline function, and constructing under water features. Restoring depth contours is the most effective habitat improvement opportunity available, and resource management decisions rely heavily on key environmental indicators to document progress. These indicators are often highly correlated with physical habitat parameters like water depth and the underwater landscape, or bathymetry. State agencies currently need to facilitate conversations among local stakeholders to inventory existing bathymetric data, evaluate data quality objectives, identify data gaps, and coordinate future field collection efforts.