Project Proponent. US Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E1500, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101.
Project Authority. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is authorized to maintain a navigable channel on the Upper Mississippi River (UMR). Authority for continued operation and maintenance of the UMR 9-Foot Navigation Channel Project is provided in the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1930 (P.L. 71-520), as amended. Original authority for the Corps to work on the Mississippi River was provided in the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1878. In addition, pursuant to Section 1103(i) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (33 U.S.C. § 652(i)), Congress authorized the Corps to dispose of dredged material from the system pursuant to the recommendations of the Great River Environmental Action Team (GREAT) I study, which were implemented, in part, in the Channel Maintenance Management Plan (CMMP). The proposed project is authorized by the referenced legislation and its purpose is compatible with the annual operations and maintenance appropriation.
Project Location. The proposed action would be located in Winona County, Minnesota.
Summary of the Proposed Project. The proposed action would be to place up to 100,000 cubic yards of dredged material at the Badger site. Material would be dredged from nearby dredge cuts, barged to the Port Authority transfer site, unloaded directly from barges into dump trucks, and then hauled two miles to the Badger site via the route shown on the figure below. Dredged material would be placed mechanically on the Badger site over a two-to-three-week period each year for approximately five years or until the 100,000 cubic yard need is met. Material would be piled within the lot as outlined in red on the figure below and not spread out across the entire lot. The exact location of the stockpile within the lot would be determined by Fastenal prior to the first placement of dredged material; however, for the purpose of the environmental assessment, the entire area outlined in red was evaluated.
Construction Schedule. Dredged material would be placed mechanically on the Badger site starting spring 2025 and would occur over a two-to-three-week period each year for approximately five years or until the 100,000 cubic yard need is met.
Summary of Environmental Impacts. The proposed action would have temporary minor adverse effects to noise, air, wildlife, and traffic. Affected resources would be expected to recover from any adverse effects shortly after conclusion of the project. The project would have no effect on federally listed species. Overall, the project would have a beneficial effect to commercial navigation by allowing for continued channel maintenance which would allow for reliable commercial navigation within Pool 6.
USACE is implementing the use of the Programmatic Agreement (PA), titled Programmatic Agreement Among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office, the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office, Iowa State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Regarding Dredged Material Placement for the Continued Operation and Maintenance of the Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Project, executed on August 23, 2022. The Corps completed historic property identification efforts and no properties are known to exist within the project area. The Corps will follow the process outlined in the PA prior to implementation of the proposed action.
Report. A Draft Environmental Assessment that describes the project and the environmental impacts in detail is available to the public and can be viewed at https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/Public-Notices/. The report includes project drawings and a Draft Finding of No Significant Impact.
Review and Comment. If you have any comments on the environmental assessment they should be provided before the expiration date of this notice. Persons submitting comments are advised that all comments received will be available for public review, to include the possibility of posting on a public website. Questions on the project or comments on the Environmental Assessment can be directed to CEMVP_Planning@usace.army.mil. Please address all formal written correspondence on this project to District Engineer, St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers, ATTN: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E1500, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101.