Purpose
The study will assess the problems and opportunities faced by the Lower Sioux Indian Community on their tribal lands and make recommendations related to erosion along the Minnesota River adjacent to and impacting those lands.
Location
The Lower Sioux Indian Community is located south of the Minnesota River in Redwood County, approximately 2 miles south of the city of Morton, Minnesota.
Description
On May 8, 2019, the Lower Sioux Indian Community requested the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for riverbank stabilization on the Minnesota River. Federal funding for the study was provided in July 2020. A feasibility cost share agreement between the Corps and the Lower Sioux Indian Community was signed on September 16, 2020.
Status
The tentatively selected plan was endorsed by Mississippi Valley Division with approval to release the draft report on June 22, 2021. The Feasibility Study Report was released for agency technical review and public review in September 2021. Prior to finalization of the report, it was determined that the tentatively selected plan and other alternatives needed to be re-evaluated. The updated Feasibility Study was rereleased for agency technical review and public review in September 2023. The study was completed in April 2024 and was approved by the Mississippi Valley Division in May 2024. The Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) is scheduled to be developed in summer 2024 with design in fiscal year 2025 and 2026 and construction in fiscal year 2027.
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 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to work with Indian nations to study and determine the feasibility of carrying out projects that will substantially benefit Indian nations.
Funding
FY 2021 – FY 2023:
Feasibility Study Federal: $484,000
Sponsor: $0
FY 2023
Project Partnership Agreement Federal: $25,000
Sponsor: $0
The executed Feasibility Cost Share Agreement (FCSA) of $484,000 qualifies for a cost share waiver. The design and construction phase will qualify for an additional waiver of up to $648,000. Both the waived amounts and the ability to pay formulas are updated periodically. Recent guidance has authorized all tribes, regardless of income, be granted the 1156 waiver in addition to the aforementioned $648,000. This will reduce the Non-Federal Sponsor’s expected cost share by 75%.