Since 2015, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District has been working to improve St. Paul’s Pig’s Eye Lake. Now, seven years later, the first of seven artificial islands is nearly complete using dredged soil from the Mississippi River. In the middle of a lake — Not only does it benefit the eroded shoreline, but it also provides habitat for turtles and shorebirds, according to the Army.
But a vociferous group of river advocates have called the island a wreck not just because of Pig’s Eye’s aesthetic changes. and demanded that the city’s surveillance be strengthened.
Important hearings on the proposed stop-work order, which began this month before the St. Paul Zoning Appeals Board, are set to conclude on Monday, Aug. 22.
Located in the Mississippi River wetlands south of downtown, the project will cost approximately $15.6 million and is expected to be completed by October 2025.
The Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with other state and federal agencies, is responsible for maintaining shipping routes along the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to St. Louis. In order for barges to safely pass certain parts of the river, the river must be at least nine feet deep, and the use of extra dredgers to maintain these depth levels is routine. It’s a great project, said Patrick Morse, deputy chief of public affairs. .
Additionally, Pig’s Eye Lake, assessed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is defined as hypertrophic, meaning the water produces a large amount of biological productivity. This degrades water quality and poses a threat to plant and animal habitats.
“Wind-generated waves blow across these large, long lake areas, and they stir up the sediment as they crash against the shoreline,” said Army biologist Aaron McFarlane. “We want these islands to blow away the wind and create these little protected areas.”
The damage done to the coastline has also affected the flora and fauna that call Pig’s Eye home. Judging by aerial imagery from circa 1951, Pigseye Lake has lost more than 100 acres of shoreline since then, McFarlane said. These islands “protect parts of the coastline and wetland vegetation and increase habitat value” for animals such as nesting turtles and a variety of shore birds, he said.
The use of dredged soil has been questioned by members of the advocacy group Friends of Pigs Eye Lake. At a St. Paul Zoning Appeals Board hearing on Aug. 8, advocacy group members testified against the project after a work stoppage request filed on June 10 was appealed by the city. gathered to do
“The public has been ignored,” said Tom Dimond, a longtime East Side advocate and leader of the Friends group. I expressed concern about the lack.
“Without public hearings, the public doesn’t have a chance to talk about the impact, one of which is pollution,” Dimond said. “There are high levels of pollutants and they are dumping it in our parks.
The “normal high water” mark also plays an important role in his rebuttal. Through a public water work permit, the DNR has jurisdiction over the Pigseye Lake Islands project, not the City of St. Paul or Ramsey County, according to city officials.
Dymond said the project should be regulated by the city because the islands are visibly emerging from public waters, and because the islands are built above the normal high water mark, i.e. the public He said that citizens should have a greater say.
With limited oversight, Dimond said the island’s construction had not been properly vetted for the floodplain and “critical area” requirements that govern development along the Mississippi River. Triggers led site plan reviews and grading permit reviews.
The Zoning Appeals Board will revisit the issue at its meeting on Monday, August 22, when DNR employees will make final presentations to the board. The meeting will begin at 3:00 pm in Room 330, 15 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul City Hall.
