Targeted Mississippi River Bank Stabilization with a Focus on Bioengineering

The Mississippi River is currently listed as impaired for turbidity. Eroding riverbanks are one of the causes of this impairment. An inventory was completed in 2016 of riverbank condition along 5.8-miles of the Mississippi River that is within the City of Ramsey. In this inventory, ten severe to very severe eroding stretches spanning 27 private properties and 6,550 linear feet were identified. Cumulatively, these sites contribute 5,148 tons of sediment per year to the river. This project will stabilize approximately 500 linear feet of Mississippi River bank using bioengineering approaches wherever possible and will deliver reductions of up to 125 tons of sediment and 125 pounds of phosphorus annually over the ten-year lifespan of the projects. In addition, this project is complementary to the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Management Area and will create near-shore habitat and naturalize the riparian zone.