Posted on September 15, 2025
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is seeking comments on a draft Environmental Assessment, or EA, for the unloading of dredged material, or river sand, from its Corps Island placement site in Pool 3 of the Upper Mississippi River, located near Red Wing, Minnesota.
The purpose of the proposed action is to transfer up to 500,000 cubic yards of dredged material from Corps Island and transfer the material to a readily available commercial site (e.g., aggregate site, gravel pit) or utilize the material for beneficial use (construction fill, landfill cover, agricultural uses).
The dredged material unloading project at Corps Island is anticipated to happen during the 2026 and 2027 construction seasons.
A final determination on the draft EA will be made following the public review period. A copy of the draft EA can be viewed and downloaded from the St. Paul District website at: https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/PublicNotices.aspx. The Corps of Engineers is conducting a review of the environmental effects in accordance with the National Environment Policy Act.
Comments should be submitted no later than Oct. 14. Questions and comments concerning the project should be directed to CEMVP_Planning@usace.army.mil. Please address all correspondence on this project to the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attention: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55101.
The St. Paul District navigation program provides a safe, reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable waterborne transportation system on the Upper Mississippi River for the movement of commercial goods and for national security needs. To do this, the district maintains a 9-foot navigation channel and 13 locks and dams from Minneapolis to Guttenberg, Iowa. Keeping this system open is vital to the nation’s economy.
