Corps signs project agreement with watershed association

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, signed a project partnership agreement yesterday with the Upper Minnesota River Watershed District, to build the Marsh Lake Ecosystem Restoration Project.

Marsh Lake is on the Minnesota River between Swift and Lac qui Parle counties near Ortonville, Minnesota.

The Marsh Lake project involves restoring the environment by improving the waterfowl habitat and the aquatic species in the area. The restoration plan includes rerouting the Pomme de Terre River to its historic channel, constructing a drawdown structure and a fish passage at the Marsh Lake Dam and breaching the abandoned fish pond at the dam. At less than 5 percent of the average cost for a habitat restoration project of this size, this project is expected to provide significant return in environmental and habitat restoration benefits.

The Corps is working in partnership with the Upper Minnesota River Watershed District, as its non-federal sponsor, as well as other external stakeholders such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, to ensure the project’s success.

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 Corps’ Fiscal Year 2015 $100 million budget, nearly 1,600 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $155 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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