The Poplar River Management Board (PRMB) continues to make progress on large-scale projects to reduce sediment from the lower segment of the Poplar River in Lutsen.
Ten contractors submitted bids for the next project, the Caribou Highlands Flowpath. According to PRMB President Tom Rider, the three lowest bidders were all very qualified companies. The contract went to Reuben Johnson & Sons of Superior, Wisconsin with a bid of $157,000.
The Caribou Highlands Flowpath project will involve the installation of erosion control measures along the strip of land between Caribou Highlands, which sits on a bluff, and the river. It will capture all the storm water originating on the Caribou Highlands property. The land directly adjacent to the river is owned by Lutsen Mountains and includes a ski trail and an access road.
“It’s a pretty important project due to the proximity of this resort to the river and the scale of land and storm water involved,” Rider said. The work will start this spring and is expected to be completed in June or July.
“We also have two other smaller conservation projects that will be carried out this summer – the Mystery Mountain Flowpath Project and the Lower Eagle Mountain Road Project,” said Rider. A request for bids will go out later this winter with construction to take place this summer.
Projects showing results
At the February 4 bimonthly PRMB meeting, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) reported on data trends regarding sediment levels in the Poplar River. Measurements gathered from 2009 to 2011 show a 35 percent reduction from previous levels. Rider said this reduction is expected to grow as completed projects mature on the landscape, such as the Ullr Tightline that was completed in 2012, and as additional projects are added, such as the ones to be completed this summer.
“This is the first bit of concrete water data we have received from MPCA after five-plus years of project implementation,” said Rider. He noted that the MPCA’s data collection, review, and quality control process is very slow. “It’s great to have this validation from MPCA for all of our efforts,” he said. The reduction is “pretty consistent” with the engineer’s estimations when the projects were designed. Rider said it “is nice when theory matches up with reality.”
The MPCA’s report states, “…The average TSS [total suspended solids] load for the years 2002 through 2006 was about 1,000 tons per year while the average load for the years 2009 through 2011 was about 660 tons per year. This difference suggests that the TSS load has decreased about 35 percent. In contrast, the average annual precipitation for the two periods is fairly similar (26.3 versus 27.7 inches). This simple comparison suggests that the BMPs [best management practices] implemented since 2006 have resulted in improved water quality conditions in the Poplar River. With the maturing effect of BMPs implemented in 2011 and 2012 along with implementation of additional BMPs currently planned, a continued decrease in sediment loading should be expected.”
Water pipeline
A water pipeline is in the works that will bring water from Lake Superior to properties from Superior National at Lutsen Golf Course to the ski runs at Lutsen Mountains, eliminating the need for homes and businesses in the area to draw water from the Poplar River. Rider, a director of the Poplar River Water District, said requests for bids will go out in late February for construction of a pipeline this summer.
“This will be a $4,000,000-plus project which will provide snowmaking water for the ski area, irrigation for Superior National, firefighting water at Highway 61 for local, state, and federal agencies, and drinking water for the property owners and resorts in the vicinity of the ski area,” Rider said. “This project represents vitally important infrastructure that will ensure the sustainability and growth of the area’s economy. It will also protect the area’s aquifers which are currently being overtaxed by too many drilled wells and address concerns about snowmaking withdrawals from the Poplar River. When this pipeline is completed, we have agreed to give up our permit to withdraw water from the Poplar River.”
The pipeline will carry water uphill close to 450 feet in elevation over a horizontal distance of 2.13 miles.
Busy summer on the ski hill
Rider also reported that Lutsen Mountains is working on financing for a high-speed chairlift for Moose Mountain. If financing is in place by March, the lift could be installed this summer.
“Looks like a very busy summer,” Rider said.
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