Corps of Engineers seeks comments on dredging pipeline near Wabasha, MN

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is seeking public comments on a draft plan to install a pipeline near Reads Landing, Minnesota, that would be used to transport dredged material, or river sand, during maintenance of the Mississippi River navigation channel.

Corps of Engineers planners are proposing to install a pipeline from Reads Landing to the Wabasha Gravel Pit, just north of Wabasha, Minnesota. The pipeline would improve upon an existing route that the Corps of Engineers has used approximately five times in the past. The new 24-inch diameter plastic pipeline would be approximately 6,030 feet in length and used to move the sand during dredging operations near the confluence of the Mississippi and Chippewa rivers.

If approved, the pipeline would be potentially installed later this year but could be installed next year. The timeline is dependent upon receiving the necessary materials. Corps planners project that the pipeline would be used annually for approximately three consecutive weeks during the dredging season. It will be cleaned out and capped when not in operation.   

A draft Environmental Assessment describing the project and environmental impacts is available on our website at http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/PublicNotices.aspx. 

Comments on the draft EA should be submitted no later than March 29. 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 EA should be directed to Dan Kelner, project biologist at (651) 724-2244 or at daniel.e.kelner@usace.army.mil. Please address all correspondence on this project to District Engineer, St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers, ATTN: Regional Planning and Environment Division North; 180 Fifth Street East; Suite 700; St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1638.

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