Posted on July 9, 2025
At the recommendation of the state’s cultural resources experts, dredge work is to be avoided adjacent to the Mitchell archeological lakefront area to reduce the risk of disturbing artifacts
MITCHELL — The Lake Mitchell dredge is scheduled to move forward, pending permits, weather, and archaeological artifacts.
Eric Lund, vice president and professional engineer from Minneapolis-based Barr Engineering, gave an update on Lake Mitchell to the Mitchell City Council, during its regular meeting on Monday, July 7.
The lake drawdown is planned for fall 2025 before a two-year dredge process begins. The lake project, permit pending, will have phases—drawdown, dredge and spillway reconstruction. Permit pending, bids for the drawdown will open in the fall.
Federal strings are attached to the permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the lake dredge project. Lund told the council that there has to be cultural considerations for Native American artifacts and a study of special aquatic sites, which are vegetated shallows, wetlands, and mud flats.
The goal is a 2026 spring-summer dredge of Lake Mitchell, pending permit approval. Bids for the dredge will be sought after a permit is finalized, most likely in spring 2026.
“We can’t control the weather, and so I think that’s the greatest chance for schedule disruption,” Lund told the Mitchell Republic.
Barr has selected the south side of the spillway for breaching the dam and to maintain concrete integrity. Barr’s plan calls for a 20-foot wide cut into the spillway. Barr has also planned a controlled lowering of the water level to limit the rate of water flow and sediment movement, which respectfully is of concern for lakefront properties and Firesteel Creek downstream.
A new door or valve in the spillway is planned to allow the water to be slowly lowered for future maintenance activities.
“The elevation of the spillway crest will not change,” Lund said.
A future dredge will be more difficult to accomplish utilizing Barr’s plan for the spillway area construction, according to Public Works Director Joe Schroeder.
Bids will be put out for the drawdown and spillway renovation as soon as all permitting is finalized, according to Schroeder.
At the recommendation of the state’s cultural resources experts, dredge work is to be avoided adjacent to the Mitchell archeological lakefront area to reduce the risk of disturbing artifacts, Lund told the Mitchell Republic.
Lund told the council that it was recommended that a “inadvertent discoveries plan” be developed to outline what should happen if an artifact is found.
While the lake is drawn down, Barr’s hydraulic model estimates that the lake should have enough irrigation water for the Lakeview Golf Course, the Cadwell Sports Complex and the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex. However, it may be difficult to run irrigation pipes to the soccer complex and the next step to maintain irrigation is to design connections to distribute surface water.
The availability of water is dependent on the flow rate through Firesteel Creek, Lund cautioned.
Barr Engineering map of Lake Mitchell, presented to the Mitchell City Council on Monday, July 7, in Mitchell. Red box shows lake area adjacent to the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village.
Barr Engineering map of Lake Mitchell, as presented to the Mitchell City Council on Monday, July 7, in Mitchell. Red stars show inlet locations for pumps to city-owned facilities that receive irrigation.
Lake Mitchell dredge funding
Friends of the Firesteel member Joe Kippes told the Mitchell Republic that the city has a responsibility to maintain the lake, every year, and that the lake requires more than just a one time investment. Kippes spoke of the need to create wetlands upstream of the lake.
“We’re going to have to be able to do the proper maintenance on the lake to keep it the way we want,” Kippes said. “That’s just like any asset that you own, you have a responsibility to maintain.”
Friends of the Firesteel has raised “well over half” of a $3 million goal in the form of commitments, Kippes told the Mitchell Republic.
In recent years, Mitchell City Council discussions regarding paying for a solution to Lake Mitchell’s water quality have become heated. Some council members believe that dredging the lake is not the best use of city funds, while others believe that the quality of the lake may play into the quality of life for residents.
In spring 2021, the council approved hiring Barr Engineering to plan out the Lake Mitchell dredge at a cost of $339,000.
After a 4-4 vote gridlocked the dredge from moving forward, the council took another swing. In July 2023, council members Dan Sabers, Kevin McCardle, John Doescher, Tim Goldammer and Mike Bathke voted for a resolution establishing a June 2024 special election on the Lake Mitchell dredge project with a $25 million lake loan price tag. Council members Marty Barington, Jeff Smith and Susan Tjarks were in opposition.
Voters in 2024 narrowly approved a $25 million budget toward water quality improvements, and in 2025, the city of Mitchell took out a $16.8 million loan through the state. An estimated $6.7 million in interest brings the lake dredge project to $31.76 million when all is said and done, according to the city’s Lake Mitchell frequently asked questions webpage.
Schroeder hopes that if people have questions, they’ll be comfortable enough to pick up the phone and ask, or come to informational meetings about the lake.
“My job is to be accessible to the citizens or anyone who has questions about projects,” Schroeder said.
Residents will have another chance to hear updates on Lake Mitchell from Barr Engineering at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8, at City Hall in Mitchell.
