Posted on October 9, 2024
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, awarded a $10 million contract to Three Oaks Construction Inc., from North Sioux City, South Dakota, to construct a protective island upstream from the embankment at Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, Sept. 24.
The goal of the Lock and Dam 2 protective island is to safeguard the existing embankment on the upstream, windward side acting as a buffer from wind and wave erosion. The 3,250-foot-long earthen embankment was constructed in 1930 and has since suffered degradation due to weather conditions, lack of vegetation, and the erosive effects of high-water events. The island will be constructed using near-by river material from the 9-foot navigation channel that will feature various heights above the typical pool elevation to provide habitat benefits including tall grasses, tree plantings, a wetland, rock features and an overwintering fish habitat.
The work is scheduled to begin Spring of 2025 and anticipated to be done the fall of 2027.
“Improving the embankment will strengthen the Corps’ navigation mission while simultaneously improve the ecosystem’s habitat quality, creating a safer environment for wildlife,” said Nick Castellane, Corps of Engineers’ project manager.
The St. Paul District applies principles of good environmental stewardship to the natural and cultural resources located on Corps-administered federal lands. The district manages more than 77,000 acres of land more than 284,000 permanent easements across the Upper Midwest. Of these lands, the district’s natural staff is responsible for grassland, fisheries, forest and management; regulating public use; managing water levels; establishing and enhancing vegetation; shoreline stabilization and more.
