Posted on July 22, 2024
MITCHELL — While the upcoming Lake Mitchell dredging project has gained a lot of attention in recent months, work has officially begun on the city’s wetland along Firesteel Creek.
In early July, crews began moving dirt and clearing trees at the 35-acre piece of land about 2 miles west of the lake, where a large wetland and sediment traps will be built.
The progress has Mitchell City Council member Tim Goldammer optimistic about improving the water quality in Lake Mitchell. The city’s wetland will aim to reduce phosphorus and sediment flowing through the massive Firesteel watershed before it reaches the lake.
“It’s exciting to see work starting in the wetland. My hope is that, as we continue to grow and develop north of the lake, we can improve the water quality,” Goldammer said.
The late June rainstorm that hit Mitchell with 7.9 inches of rain has resulted in wet fields and created challenges for crews to maneuver equipment, according to Public Works Director Joe Schroeder.
“They’ve been having some trouble getting around. I know they brought in timber planks for excavators so they can get around,” Schroeder said.
To help crews maneuver through the wet fields in the project area, Schroeder said the construction company that’s performing the work will be bringing in special equipment.
“At this point, they will be moving forward through the moisture. They don’t have plans to pause and wait for the ground to get a bit more dry,” Schroeder said.
The $583,997 wetland project is being led by Whiskeyboard Construction, a Nebraska-based firm that was awarded the bid in the spring. The completion date is scheduled for November.
In 2019, the city purchased 371 acres of land along Firesteel Creek with the goal of building a wetland. The $4.1 million purchase paved the way for the project. A 10,095-square-foot residential home that came with the land purchase sold in 2022 for $1.5 million, which covered the costs of the wetland.
Considering the Firesteel watershed spans 350,000 acres, which drains into Lake Mitchell, city leaders have called the city’s 35-acre wetland “one piece of a large puzzle.”
“It’s not the end. It’s the beginning of making progress in the watershed,” Goldammer said.
Over the past several years, a $1 million federal grant has helped the city form new agreements with landowners and agricultural producers in the Firesteel watershed to incentivize the creation of more wetlands and runoff-reducing projects. A little over $700,000 of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant has been spent, according to city officials.
Schroeder said the grant has facilitated the completion of three wetland projects in the watershed, which cover a combined 150 acres of land. A 101-acre wetland restoration project north of Plankinton is also in the development stages, Schroeder added.
While Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson is pleased to see work has begun in the watershed, he would like to have a clearer picture on how much phosphorus and sediment will be reduced when the wetland and sediment traps are completed.
“I’ve asked to see what the impact the wetland will have on reducing the phosphorus and sediment, but there are no documents clearly explaining that,” Hanson said. “I know it’s been asked many times to see what type of impact it will have. Hopefully, it will have the impact we all want to see for Lake Mitchell’s water quality.”
During past council discussions on runoff reduction plans in the watershed, engineers who have studied Lake Mitchell’s algae issues said quantifying the phosphorus and sediment reduction resulting from the wetland would be difficult.
“The project shows we not only want to fix the lake itself but the water flowing into the lake from the Firesteel watershed,” Goldammer said.
