ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, released a draft Environmental Assessment, or EA, for its proposed dredged material management plan in Pool 2 of the Mississippi River, near Cottage Grove, Minnesota, today, Nov. 22.
The draft plan outlines the transportation methods and necessary land requirements to permanently place dredged material removed from the Mississippi River in Pool 2 for the next 40 years. This plan would ensure the 9-foot navigation channel remains open and able to transport the region’s grains and other commodities to global markets. Pool 2 is a 32-mile long stretch of the river from Lock and Dam 1, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minnesota.
Corps of Engineers officials will host a public meeting to discuss the draft plan and receive public comments. The meeting will be at Cottage Grove City Hall training room, 12800 Ravine Parkway in Cottage Grove from 6- 8 p.m., Dec. 9. The meeting will include a formal presentation at 6:30 p.m. highlighting the Corps’ navigation mission and the proposed dredged material management plan. A question and answer session will follow the presentation.
A draft EA describing the plan and the environmental impacts is available to the public and can be viewed and downloaded from the St. Paul District website at: www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/PublicNotices.aspx.
Questions on the plan or comments on the EA can be directed to Clay Tallman, project manager, at 651-290-5030 or Clayton.E.Tallman@usace.army.mil. Please address all formal written correspondence on this project to the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 180 5th St. E., Suite 700, St. Paul, MN 55101.
Comments on the proposed plan will be accepted through January 8, 2020.