The South Washington Watershed District (SWWD) is excited to announce that it has been awarded $3,500,000 in 3M Priority 2 Settlement funding to continue hydrologic and habitat restoration work in Grey Cloud Slough, an important side channel of the Mississippi River. This funding, along with future local allocations planned in SWWD’s Long-Range Work Plan, are expected to be used as match to potentially leverage an additional $12,000,000 in project work funded through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
After construction of Lock & Dam #2 on the Mississippi River near Hastings, MN in 1930 created a permanent pool in the old river valley, Grey Cloud Slough quickly began transforming from a small, braided meandering side channel into an open-water pool. Numerous floodplain forest islands eroded away over the next several decades, leaving behind a shallow, stagnant backwater with limited habitat quality and variability.
SWWD will work with USACE over the next 8 years to construct and reinforce new islands in the western end of the slough to mimic the ecological benefits provided by the original floodplain islands lost years ago to erosion. In addition to providing restored floodplain habitat in the area, the new islands will help concentrate baseflow through the slough. Thus, creating additional depth and overwintering habitat for fish and other aquatic life while improving recreational fishing opportunities and navigability for watercraft users in the area.
Additional coordination and planning with local municipalities, Minnesota DNR, and other interested parties will begin in the coming months. Stay tuned for more updates!
Questions? Contact Kyle Axtell, SWWD Planning & Projects Program Manager, at [email protected].