Innovating dredged material management

Dredging the Mississippi River 9-foot navigation channel is a critical component to ensure the movement of commercial goods. To maintain the channel, the St. Paul District removes around 1 million cubic yards of dredged material, or river sand, every year. This is enough material to fill US Bank Stadium. 

Maintaining the navigation channel is vital to the regional economy. 

Mississippi River Dredged Material Management Plans by pool

Pool 2

The Pool 2 dredged material management plan public comment period expired Jan. 8, 2020. The final plan and Finding of No Significant Impact document was signed July 1, 2020.


Pool 2 Dredged Material Management Plan 
Dredged Material Management Plan (PDF)


Pool 3

Corps staff are currently working with our federal, state and local partners to develop a draft dredged material management plan for Pool 9 within the Mississippi River. There is no current timeline for releasing the draft document.


Pool 4

The Mississippi River Pool 4 dredged material management plan was approved in Novemeber 2022. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, released the draft plan March 22, 2022. A public meeting to discuss the plan and to receive public comments was held at the Wabasha-Kellogg High School April 13, 2022.  A 30-day public comment period expired April 19, 2022.


Pool 4 Dredged Material Management Plan
Dredged Material Management Plan (PDF) 


Pool 5

The draft Rolling Prairie Land Use Operational Plan is available here (PDF).

The Pool 5 draft dredged material management plan public comment period concluded Oct. 18, 2019. The final plan and Finding of No Significant Impact document was signed Feb. 10, 2020.


Pool 5 Dredged Material Management Plan
Dredged Material Management Plan (PDF) 


Pool 6

The Pool 6 dredged material management plan public comment period expired July 15, 2022. The final plan and Finding of No Significant Impact document was signed May 24, 2023.


Pool 6 Dredged Material Management Plan 
Dredged Material Management Plan (PDF)


Pool 9

Corps staff are currently working with our federal, state and local partners to develop a draft dredged material management plan for Pool 9 within the Mississippi River. There is no current timeline for releasing the draft document.


Pool 10

Corps staff are currently working with our federal, state and local partners to develop a draft dredged material management plan for Pool 10 within the Mississippi River. There is no current timeline for releasing the draft document.

Minnesota River Dredged Material Management Plan

The Minnesota River Dredged Material Management Plan is a comprehensive, long-term plan for managing dredging and placement site requirements on the Minnesota River. It is developed and implemented to satisfy the long-term placement needs for Corps' navigation projects.

Several issues surfaced in 1998 concerning the Minnesota River including lack of capacity at a historically-used placement site, lack of adequate placement sites for privately-owned terminal dredged material, and complaints from the navigation industry on channel conditions. The Corps was concerned with these issues and initiated development of a comprehensive plan for the Minnesota River to address all dredging requirements, both private and federal.

An estimated 1.2 million cubic yards of material will be dredged from the navigation channel and private barge slips (669,600 cubic yards and 486,800 cubic yards respectively) during the next 27 years. Dredged material would be periodically placed at two sites: the Cargill East River site and the Kraemer site. Material placed at these sites would be removed for beneficial use, restoring the capacity of the sites.

Minnesota River Dredged Material Management Plan (PDF)

 

 

Resources

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 Fish and Wildlife Group
 River Resources Forum Minutes
 Water Level Management Task Force

Historic Documents

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 Channel Maintenance Management Plan

The Channel Maintenance Management Plan is a comprehensive, long-term plan for guiding channel maintenance activities in the St. Paul District. The plan evolved from the GREAT study (1974-1980) and subsequent planning efforts to implement GREAT study recommendations. It provides long-term planning, establishes coordination procedures and an evaluation process for dredged material placement site alternatives and provides historic data related to the channel maintenance program. While long-term in nature, the plan is designed to accommodate new information and changes.


 Great River Environmental Action Team I Study

The Great River Environmental Action Team I, or GREAT I, study took place from 1975-1980. The study was an interagency effort involving the Corps of Engineers; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Soil Conservation Service; U.S. Coast Guard; and the states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The primary objectives of the study were the development of a detailed site-specific channel maintenance plan and recommendations for the management of the river system and its interrelated components within the river corridor. One of the main products of the study was a channel maintenance plan which recommended dredged material placement sites for all historic dredge cuts within the St. Paul District. An Environmental Impact Statement was completed as a part of the study.

Please visit the CMMP webpage here for more information.

Section 1122 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 authorizes 10 pilot projects for beneficial use of dredged material.
Section 204 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1992 provides continuing authority to study and implement small aquatic ecosystem restoration projects using dredged material.
Section 217 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 authorizes the Corps of Engineers to implement public-private partnerships to manage dredged material.
Dredged material is incorporated into topsoil products that meets Minnesota Department of Transportation specifications for use on highway shoulders where specific drainage requirements are needed.
The St. Paul District is actively seeking landowners willing to accept dredged material or to sell potential placement sites.
Bring dredged material directly to shore instead of using temporary islands whenever possible to reduce life-cycle dredging costs.
The St. Paul District is seeking permission to use non-standard real estate instruments where less than a fee title interest would be sufficient to support the Corps of Engineers needs.
The public, private entities and government agencies are encouraged to take material free of charge from Corps of Engineers dredged material stockpiles.

Contact



U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District
Channels & Harbors Project Office

Fountain City, WI
Office: 651-290-5150
mvp.stpaul.channel@usace.army.mil

Frequently Asked Questions

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 What is the CMMP?

The Channel Maintenance Management Plan is a comprehensive, long-term plan for guiding channel maintenance activities in the St. Paul District. The plan evolved from the GREAT study (1974-1980) and subsequent planning efforts to implement GREAT study recommendations. It provides long-term planning, establishes coordination procedures and an evaluation process for dredged material placement site alternatives and provides historic data related to the channel maintenance program. While long-term in nature, the plan is designed to accommodate new information and changes.

Please visit the CMMP webpage here for more information.

 What is the Great Study?

The Great River Environmental Action Team I, or GREAT I, study took place from 1975-1980. The study was an interagency effort involving the Corps of Engineers; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Soil Conservation Service; U.S. Coast Guard; and the states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The primary objectives of the study were the development of a detailed site-specific channel maintenance plan and recommendations for the management of the river system and its interrelated components within the river corridor. One of the main products of the study was a channel maintenance plan which recommended dredged material placement sites for all historic dredge cuts within the St. Paul District. An Environmental Impact Statement was completed as a part of the study.

Please visit the CMMP webpage here for more information.

 How much material does the St. Paul District dredge annually?

The St. Paul District dredges around 1 million cubic yards of dredged material every year from Minneapolis to Lock and Dam 10, in Guttenberg, Iowa. This is approximately enough material to fill U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis or Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Nearly a third of this material comes directly from Pools 4 – 6.

 What is a Section 217 agreement?

Section 217 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 authorized the Corps of Engineers to work with non-federal sponsors to establish agreements to manage dredged material at a dredged material placement facility. The St. Paul District and the city of Wabasha, Minnesota, signed the Section 217 agreement July 24, 2023. This is the first of its kind agreement for inland waters within the United States. The agreement has typically been utilized for harbor dredging.

Click here to learn more about this agreement.

 What is the federal standard?

The Federal Standard is the least costly alternatives consistent with sound engineering practices and meeting the environmental standards established by the Clean Water Act’s Section 404(b)(1) evaluation process.

Please visit 33 CFR Part 335.7 or 33 CFR § 335.4 for more information.

 What is the tentatively selected plan?

The Tentatively Selected Plan, or TSP, is the plan that a Corps of Engineers team determines to be the best option for placing dredged material within an area. The TSP generally adheres to the Federal Standard.

 Why can’t you place the material in a wetland?

The Corps of Engineers tries to avoid placing material in a wetland due to the need to comply with the Federal Standard and the desire to be a good steward of the environment. While we make every effort to avoid filling wetlands, sometimes the need arises to do so. In these rare circumstances, we work with our partners to adequately mitigate the need to fill a wetland with dredged material.

 Why do you need to dredge material from the Mississippi River?

The Corps is mandated by Congress to maintain the navigation channel which is critical to the local and national economy. The Corps of Engineers has several tools to maintain the 9-foot navigation channel. These tools include the locks and dams system, surveying and dredging. Dredging is required, in addition to the locks and dams, due to an ever changing river bed and the movement of sediment. Dredging allows Corps officials the ability to remove deposited sediments from the riverbed, which helps navigation vessels safely move commodities.

 Why don’t you place material on other government land?

Placing dredged material on land owned by other government agencies (federal, state and local) can be challenging due to the need to ensure the material placement conforms to the needs and mission of the agency that owns the land. Corps officials are in constant communication with our partners to seek beneficial opportunities when and where feasible.

 Why not use the material to fill the abandoned pits in the area?

Filling abandoned mining pits, ravines and low-lying areas are often considered in the Corps’ planning process. These are often great opportunities to reclaim mined land. However, a number of site-specific conditions may prevent these sites from being selected as part of the Tentatively Selected Plan, or TSP, all of which are equally applicable and are also considered at any other sites evaluated. For instance:

-The location is too far from the river which significantly increases the cost associated with placing material there;

-The location(s) are generally smaller in size and lack the necessary capacity to store a minimum of 20 years of dredged material;

- The locations are generally smaller in size and often reduce and/or eliminate efficiencies in managing the material, which ultimately drives up costs; and

-A location may have environmental concerns such as wetlands; or hazardous, toxic, radioactive or waste materials that would prohibit the Corps from using the site.

As a general rule, Corps officials try to avoid wetlands but they can be filled if it is deemed to be the most environmentally acceptable solution for a given area. Corps officials would mitigate any damage and/or destruction of wetlands if they were chosen as the TSP.