Big things are happening on the Flute Reed River. With funding of about $540,000 from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the first of four river bank stabilization projects was started in mid-July.
A public meeting to discuss the projects and the Flute Reed Partnership’s efforts on behalf of the watershed as well as a tour of some of the project sites will take place Thursday, August 1, 2013 starting at 7 p.m. at the Hovland Town Hall. The public is invited to come learn more about how the clay riverbanks are being stabilized.
The Flute Reed Partnership’s annual meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Hovland Town Hall—just before the community meeting—and all interested parties are invited to attend that meeting as well.
Construction projects funded by the grant were started last year with replacement of undersized or poorly aligned culverts on private property within the watershed.
The work requires permits from Cook County, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Cook County Soil & Water Conservation District personnel will be supervising the construction sites.
This summer’s construction activities will temporarily impact water quality, but over the long term, the projects will help stabilize and protect both the river and Lake Superior.
Project partners include the Flute Reed Partnership, Cook County Soil & Water Conservation District, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, consultants, and local contractors.
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