Agenda Packets - 1994/01/10 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

OP OLITAN COUNCIL Mew: Park Centre. ?30 Farr Fifth Street. Sr. Paul. ,4iN 551O,',1634 613 =41•6359 FAX 612 291-6550 771'612 291.0904 September 11,,1992 Mr. Andrew Cardinal:Sr., President Rice Creek Watershed District 3585 Legton Avenue North Suite 374 Arden Hills, Minnesota 55126-8016, Dear Mr, Cardinal: The Metropolitan Council (Council) recently received a notice regarding a proposed amendment to the Rice Creek Watershed District's (RCWD) Water Management Plan to increase the budget for the Locke Lake dredging project Since the project itself is part of the district's approved plan, the amendment deals only with the cost of the: dredging. As such, the Council is.not required to comment on the project—just the amencted cost of the project. However, the costs of the project and the benefits associated with it are linked, and merit some discussion. BACKGROUND Locke Lake is an in-stream pool created by the danuning of Rice Creek near the mouth of the creek. The dam was constructed in 1955; since that time, the lake has been.filling with sediments derived from the floodplain and banks of the creek. Currently, the lake bed is entirely filed with sediment, and has become a wetland area. The crei:k has formed a channel through the wetland. The restoration project proposed by the RCWD includes dredging the lake to a depth of four feet, except in the vicinity of the east bay, which would be dredged to a greater depth. The east bay would act as an in-lake sediment basin, allowing the west bay to remain relatively free of deposition. The east bay would have to be dredged at regular intervals to prevent it from ®ling in and allowing sediment into the western portion of the lake. The initial and on-going dredging of the lake will require a permit from the Departmeint of Natural Resources (DNR), as well as a Section 404 permit of the U.S. Army Corps of Engi pees (COE). Along with the dredging, the proposed amendment calls for the replacement of the existing outlet structure of the lake, which is the dam. Currently, he dam is not functioning. To re-create the lake, a new darn would have to be constructed eitht r during or after the initial dredging project The city of Fridley has taken responsibility for the ( :construction of the dam, at a potential cost of S3 million. The watershed district has estimated the dredging costs at roughly 5800,000; there is no indication in the amendment how this figure was arrived at. or what work is proposed to be done by the RCWD. Old E9172 VOL ET9 :0± 892t7b8LET9 'Gil EUeIU3S OT:LZ P6, 90 NUE