Posted on October 5, 2020
The Department of Natural Resources and city of Portage started phase two of the canal restoration project this week.
DNR contractors are preparing the site at the end of Mullett Street to continue dredging and remediation of the two-and-a-half mile canal next spring, said Portage Public Works Director Aaron Jahncke.
Preparation for next year’s work includes conditions surveys and installing a security fence, temporary facilities and temporary roads on the site.
Next spring’s work is a continuation of a larger, three-phase, $8 million project which began in in 2006. It included dredging the canal from the Wisconsin River locks area to Adams Street, Jahncke said.
In 2016, a portion of the canal was dredged between Highway 51 to Adams Street. The current phase will dredge portions of the canal from Adams Street to the Canadian Pacific railroad bridge.
That area of water has not been dredged in nearly a century and is contaminated with metals, said DNR Water Resources Engineer Scott Inman, in a press release regarding the project.
“As the owner of the Portage Canal, DNR is responsible for taking the necessary actions to address the historical contamination that has impacted the canal,” Inman said.
The final phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2022, and will include creating recreational trails along the canal.
At the start of last week, a recreational bridge project began to create a pedestrian bridge of the Wisconsin River locks.
The project is being done by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, in partnership with the DNR as part of the larger canal plan.
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Source: wiscnews
