Contact Public Affairs

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District
Public Affairs Office
332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500
St. Paul, MN 55101

Phone: (651) 290-5807
Fax: (651) 290-5752
cemvp-pa@usace.army.mil 

 

Corps awards contract for Pigs Eye Lake habitat restoration project

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
Published June 29, 2021

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, in partnership with Minnesota’s Ramsey County awarded a $14.7 million contract to LS Marine, Inc., of St. Paul, Minnesota, June 25, to restore habitat on Pigs Eye Lake, located in upper Pool 2 of the Mississippi River.

The project will enhance and restore backwater habitat by creating island and wetland features on Pigs Eye Lake using more than 400,000 cubic yards of material dredged from the Mississippi River by the Corps of Engineers during maintenance of the navigation channel.

The project features, including island construction with sand benches, marsh habitat restoration and terrestrial planting, have the objective of reducing wind and wave action, improving vegetation, creating thermal shelter for waterfowl, and protecting against shoreline erosion. The total project footprint will be approximately 40 acres and will provide benefits to more than 600 acres of Pigs Eye Lake and the surrounding habitat.

The project will have temporary, minor adverse impacts on noise levels, aesthetic values and recreational opportunities.

Work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 with additional monitoring and management to follow.

The Corps of Engineers uses the Beneficial Use of Dredged Material program for projects like this, where we can restore, protect or create aquatic and wetland habitats in connection with construction and maintenance dredging. Beneficial use of dredged material has also been used for upland habitat development, beach nourishment and levee repair and improvement.

– 30 –


Release no. 21-052