Purpose
The study addresses erosion issues along the Minnesota River adjacent to Upper Sioux Community tribal lands and make recommendations related to those issues.
Location
The Upper Sioux Community is located south of the Minnesota River in Yellow Medicine County, approximately four miles south of the city of Granite Falls, Minnesota.
Description
On Jan. 9, 2019, the Upper Sioux Community requested assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for riverbank stabilization on the Minnesota River under the Tribal Partnership Program. USACE and the Upper Sioux Community signed a feasibility cost-share agreement on Jan. 28, 2020. The study began in April 2020. The study includes gathering information; formulating alternatives; analyzing costs, benefits, and environmental impacts; and recommending a tentative plan on how to address the erosion challenges.
Status
The final feasibility study was submitted and approved by USACE’s Mississippi Valley District on Aug. 9, 2023. The execution of the Project Partnership Agreement named the Upper Sioux Community as the nonfederal sponsor, and initiation of the design phase was executed on June 7, 2024. The planning, engineering, and design phase kicked off in spring 2025.
Authority
The Tribal Partnership Program (TPP) is authorized by Section 203 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-541). The TPP provides authority for USACE to work with tribal nations to study and determine the feasibility of carrying out projects that will substantially benefit tribal nations.
Funding
TPP feasibility studies qualify for a Section 1156 waiver ($484,000), where the initial costs of the study are federally funded and the remaining amount is cost-shared between the federal government and the sponsor. The tribal share is based on an ability-to-pay formula.
Feasibility study $614,000
The design and construction phases are cost-shared between the federal and tribal governments, with an additional Section 1156 waiver (currently $648,000) applied to the tribal share. The remaining tribal share is based on an ability-to-pay formula. Both the waived amounts and the ability-to-pay formulas are periodically updated.
Design and construction $5,349,000