This phase one project is to develop an understanding of sediment transport and fate in the Little Fork River system through the use of sediment fingerprinting and a sediment budget by setting up sampling sites for target sediments and source sediments.
The Little Fork River Watershed Assessment will include the waters of the Rice River, Little Fork River, Flint Creek, Nett Lake River, Beaver Brook, Valley River, Willow River, Sturgeon River, Bear River, Dark River, and the Lost River. This Assessment will also include Little Bear Lake, Bear Lake, Thistledew Lake, Little Moose Lake, Raddison Lake, Napoleon Lake, Owen Lake, Dark Lake, Clear Lake, Long (Main) Lake, Dewey Lake, and Long (North) Lake. These lakes and streams are found throughout the Little Fork River Watershed, which spans parts of Koochiching, St. Louis and Itasca Counties.
This Phase 6 request for Ducks Unlimited’s Living Lakes program will enhance 1,000 acres of shallow lakes and restore 50 acres of small wetlands by engineering and installing water control structures for Minnesota DNR and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on public lands and wetlands under easement. Structures will be used by DNR and Service partners to restore wetland hydrology and actively manage shallow lake water levels to enhance their ecology for ducks, other birds, and hunters in the Prairie Region of Minnesota.
Ducks Unlimited successfully enhanced 3,437 wetland acres and restored 83 wetland acres through this grant, which significantly exceeds our grant acre goals of 2,000 acres of wetland enhancement and 50 acres of wetlands restored for this 2017 OHF appropriation.
This Phase 9 request for Ducks Unlimited's Living Lakes program will enhance or restore 1,440 acres of wetlands and adjacent prairie grasslands for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Minnesota DNR on public lands and private lands under permanent easement. DU biologists and engineers will design wetland restorations and water control structures for active management of shallow lake water levels to enhance their ecology for ducks, other wildlife, and people, primarily in SW Minnesota's Prairie Pothole Region.
This Phase 10 request for Ducks Unlimited's Living Lakes program will enhance or restore 1,325 acres of wetlands and adjacent prairie grasslands for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Minnesota DNR on public lands and private lands under permanent easement. DU biologists and engineers will design wetland restorations and water control structures for active management of shallow lake water levels to enhance their ecology for ducks, other wildlife, and people, primarily in SW Minnesota's Prairie Pothole Region.
This Phase 8 request for Ducks Unlimited's Living Lakes program will enhance or restore 1,070 acres of wetlands and adjacent prairie grasslands for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Minnesota DNR on public lands and private lands under permanent USFWS easement. Where required, DU engineers will design water control structures to restore wetland hydrology and allow active management of shallow lake water levels to enhance their ecology for ducks, other wildlife, and people, primarily in Minnesota's Prairie Pothole Region.
Provide approximately 15 matching grants for local parks, trail, acquisition of natural areas and trails to connect people safety to desirable community locations and regional or state facilities.
This project will develop, implement, and evaluate civic engagement activities within the Rainy River Headwaters and Cloquet watersheds. In addition, Lake County will also assist in expanding water quality monitoring efforts in support of the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) process.
The purpose of this contract is to augment data collection efforts for the St. Louis River (SLR) Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) and for four impaired Duluth beaches. For the SLR WRAPS, activities include: attaining datasets for watershed stressors and geomorphic conditions, water quality gap monitoring, and a civic engagement component. Impaired beaches activities include: collection of field observational data, field water chemistry, and water quality samples for analytical analysis.
Beginning in June 2019, the St Louis River Watershed will start the second round of the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) process. This project helps the Carlton County SWCD (SWCD) initiate a broader citizen participation process in the Watershed. The SWCD staff will be enabled to create a greater degree of public interest in and awareness of the general health of the Watershed. This work will create the foundation for greater citizen involvement in the planning and implementation of restoration and protection activities in the Watershed.
The objectives of this project are to update and extend the simulation periods of the St. Louis River and Cloquet River watershed Hydrologic Simulation Program – FORTRAN (HSPF) model and the Duluth urban area HSPF model and conduct recalibration of the hydrology and water quality simulations. The model updates will support work to update the existing Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) reports.
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.
MNDNR's St. Louis River Restoration Initiative (SLRRI) is a collaborative program enhancing and restoring the St. Louis River estuary. This 12,000 acre estuary is a unique resource of statewide significance. SLRRI's vision for the estuary includes diverse, productive, and healthy aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the river and watershed. MNDNR and MN Land Trust's SLRRI Phase 8 will restore an additional 155 acres of priority aquatic, wetland, and forested habitat for important fish, game, and SGCN.
To offer new arts and cultural heritage programming at the St. Louis County Fair. Programming will include performances by Irish Dancers, a Native American pow-wow, children's theater, vaudeville, and music featuring a barbershop quartet, gospel, and Americana songs.
This project will provide a protocol for prioritizing sites in the St. Louis Area of Concern (AOC ) for restoration based on site-specific bioavailability considerations. Despite large data collection efforts focused on sediment chemistry, the extent to which sediment with moderate levels of contamination is available for uptake into biota and therefore contributing to Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI)s is still largely unknown.
The St. Louis River Area of Concern (SLRAOC) conservation partners are focused on removing Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI) in the estuary and eventually delisting the SLRAOC. Cooperative efforts between multiple resource agencies and regional stakeholders have identified a host of restoration objectives, developed project support activities, and partially secured funding that includes a state commitment through the Minnesota Clean Water Fund.
The St. Louis River Area of Concern (SLRAOC) conservation partners are focused on removing Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI) in the estuary and eventually delisting the SLRAOC. Cooperative efforts between multiple resource agencies and regional stakeholders have identified a host of restoration objectives, developed project support activities, and partially secured funding that includes a state commitment through the Minnesota Clean Water Fund.
The goal of the St. Louis River Watershed Mercury Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) is to determine the mercury reductions needed to meet the water quality standards for mercury and support healthy consumption of fish by people and wildlife. Fishing is important in this watershed for economic and cultural reasons, including the exercise of tribal treaty rights; Fond du Lac’s 0.77 ng/L water quality standard protects subsistence fishing. This project will result in the development of the Mercury TMDL calculations and associated mercury source assessment.
MNDNR's St. Louis River Restoration Initiative (SLRRI) is a collaborative program enhancing and restoring this unique and valuable resource. The SLRRI's vision for the estuary includes diverse, productive, and healthy aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the river and watershed. Contributing to this vision, MNDNR works with partners throughout the 12,000-acre estuary to identify and prioritize key projects and implement previously identified projects that restore 35 acres of priority aquatic and riparian habitat.
The project provides the opportunity for the North Saint Louis Soil and Water Conservation District (NSLSWCD) to engage in efforts to increase public participation in the St. Louis River Watershed and participate in the planning and technical review of the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies (WRAPS) process. NSLSWCD contains the headwaters of the St. Louis River Watershed. The District’s knowledge of the area, communities, and organizations puts them in a unique position to work cooperatively in the watershed.
To rehabilitate the interior and exterior of the St. Louis County Jail, a contributing element of the Duluth Civic Center Historic District and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
This project will gather watershed data necessary for the development of a Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report to maintain and improve water quality for the St Louis River Watershed.
This project will provide technical, planning and engineering assistance to the MPCA for the development and implementation of the St. Louis River Remedial Action Plan (RAP). USACE and USEPA in partnership with the MPCA will administer work plans to complete a sediment assessment for Minnesota areas within Superior Bay, St. Louis Bay, Lower St. Louis River and the Upper St. Louis River, encompassing approximately 5,349 acres of the St. Louis River and Estuary.
The purpose of this project is to provide technical support to data generators and users of the Saint Louis River Area of Concern (SLRAOC) to support the Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) removal process.
The St. Louis River watershed is one of the largest watersheds in northern Minnesota and the largest single contributing watershed to Lake Superior. Surface waters are abundant with 353 lakes and 97 streams segments. Large areas of forest and wetlands help to sustain areas of exceptional water quality. However, land use changes have degraded many lakes, rivers, and streams. 21 stream reaches have aquatic life impairments, as identified by high turbidity (1 reach), poor quality aquatic macro-invertebrate community (16 reaches), and/or poor quality fish community (12 reaches).
This project is completing Feasibility Study Addendums and updating other project documents for Thomson and Scanlon Reservoirs, and Mud Lake W sites in the St. Louis River Area of Concern (AOC).
This Partnership Agreement is a 5-year effort that will provide the technical, planning and engineering assistance for implementation of the 2013 St. Louis River Area of Concern Remedial Action Plan. Through this agreement the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and MPCA will develop detailed work plans and construction design plans for numerous sites in the project AOC and assist with critical AOC-wide issues. • 21st Avenue West Restoration Site. Outcome will be preliminary to final engineering designs and costs ready for bid package development. • Knowlton Creek Site.
Chambers Grove: restored a natural shoreline, improved fish spawning habitat, and planted native shoreline vegetation (completed in 2015).
Kingsbury Bay: completed engineering and design; began restoration of a wetland complex impacted by excessive sediment and non-native species (to be completed Dec 2020).
Grassy Point: completed engineering and design; began restoration of a wetland complex impacted by legacy milling waste and non-native species (to be completed Dec 2020).
Kingsbury Bay: completed engineering, design, permitting, and contracting. Began a multi-year restoration of a wetland complex impacted by excessive sediment and non-native species in 2019 (to be completed fall 2021).
Grassy Point: completed engineering, design, permitting, and contracting. Began a multi-year restoration of a wetland complex impacted by legacy milling waste and non-native species in 2019 (to be completed fall 2021).
St. Louis County's Comprehensive Water Management Plan Update 2010-2020 identifies providing financial assistance to qualifying homeowners to upgrade or replace failing septic systems as a Priority 2 action. Funds from the FY-16 Clean Water Fund Projects and Practices Grant will be used to provide funding to low-income homeowners to repair or replace SSTS identified as Imminent Threat to Public Health (ITPH) within the following watersheds: Lake Superior South, St.
DNR achieved the following outcomes using ML2019 funds.
-Advanced engineering and design of the Perch Lake, Mud Lake, and Lower Knowlton projects.
-Fabricated and installed a 183-foot, 700-ton culvert, restoring fish passage and hydrologic function at Perch Lake.
-Removed 68,000CY of sediment from Perch Lake, restoring coastal marsh and deep water habitat.
-Conducted professional engineering oversight and implemented a portion of the Kingsbury Bay/Creek watershed restoration project contributing to an estimated reduction of 400+ tons of sediment per year.
MNDNR's St. Louis River Restoration Initiative (SLRRI) is a collaborative program enhancing and restoring the St. Louis River estuary and contributing watershed. The 11,000-acre estuary is a unique resource of statewide significance. SLRRI's vision includes diverse, productive, and healthy aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the river and watershed. Through SLRRI Phase 11 we will restore or enhance an additional 62 acres of priority aquatic, wetland, and estuary forest habitat for important fish, game, and Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
DNR achieved the following outcomes using ML2018 funds.
-Restored 4 acres of habitat at Interstate Island for threatened bird species, including a 30,000 sqft nesting area.
-Seeded 3,917 lbs of Manoomin with tribal partners across 28 acres.
-Removed 68,000CY of sediment from Perch Lake restoring coastal marsh and deep water habitat.
-Designed and implemented a portion of the Kingsbury Bay/Creek watershed restoration project contributing to an estimated total reduction of over 400 tons of sediment per year.
DNR's St. Louis River Restoration Initiative (SLRRI) advanced multiple large-scale habitat restoration projects. ML2017 funds contributed to:
-Removing 300,000 CY of invasive vegetation, sediment, and sawmill waste from the waters of Kingsbury Bay and Grassy Point, restoring approximately 230 acres of coastal marsh habitat;
-Restoring five acres of habitat at Interstate Island for a threatened avian species by beneficially using over 52,000 CY of clean sand dredged from navigation channels;
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) requires the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to carry out the Total Maximum Daily Load Program (TMDL) in the state of Minnesota. Minnesota has an abundance of lakes and river reaches, many of which will require a TMDL study. In an effort to expedite the completion of TMDL projects, the MPCA constructs watershed models. These models support the development of TMDL studies for multiple listings within a watershed. In 2017 the Lake of the Woods (LOW) watershed HSPF model was extended through 2014.
