Corps of Engineers to begin surveying properties around Big Sandy Lake

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, recently hired a contractor to conduct survey work on several Corps-owned property parcels around Big Sandy Lake, near McGregor, Minnesota.

The Corps’ contractor, Anderson Engineering, of Plymouth, Minnesota, is scheduled to start the surveys this week and will continue this effort through spring 2018. The surveyors plan to validate the Corps-owned land around the area and cross reference the findings with land titles purchased over the past 100 years. The surveys are being conducted in an effort to reestablish Corps property lines. 

In order for the surveyors to reestablish boundary lines and ensure federal lands are properly marked, the contractor will be searching for boundary corners not just along the Corps boundaries but throughout the area.  

The surveyors will be in and around developed areas during the field work. They will use GPS and traditional survey methods to gather the necessary information. 

Big Sandy Lake is one of six Corps reservoirs in the Mississippi River Headwaters area. The reservoirs serve to reduce flood risks, provide recreation opportunities and wildlife habitat, as well as providing water supply. 

If you have any questions regarding the survey work, please contact Jeff Steere, Corps of Engineers northern headwaters section supervisor, at 651-290-5808.  

The nearly 600 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the St. Paul District Fiscal Year 2016 $78 million budget, nearly 1,250 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $120 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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