WABASHA, Minn. – The Army Corps and the City of Wabasha have solved years of unpleasantry about Mississippi River dredging. They have agreed that the city, not the Corps, will call the shots for disposing of river sediment. Mayor Emily Durand and Army Colonel Eric Swenson will exchange a peace pipe and sign a treaty July 24 at the National Eagle Center amphitheater in Wabasha. The agreement is historic — the first of its kind for inland waters. For years the city had accused the Army Corps of heavy-handed decisions that included heavy trucks with loads of sediment — 250,000 cubic yards a year — lumbering through residential areas to dump sites. The Corps insisted it had to put the sediment somewhere and cited its Congressional mandate to keep Mississippi River shipping channels at a nine-foot depth. The channel near Wabasha, downstream from Chippewa River delta that backs up Lake Pepin, requires more dredging than anywhere else on the Upper Mississippi. Finally the Corps recognized l the intensity of local passions about all the dump truck traffic.
Dredge Goetz. The 225-foot dredge sucks river silt through a 22-inch pipe. But then: Where to put it? Under the new Wabasha agreement, that will be a decision of local people. The Corps will pay the city a tipping fee to find agreeable deposit sites and transit routes.
Terms of new pact
Bob Edstrom, The Corps manager for river silt management, called the Wabasha agreement a win-win-win: “The city gets more control on where to place the sand, while the Corps can now invest more of our energy on long-term planning efforts while also ensuring the navigation channel continues operating safely for the shipment of America’s crops grown right here in the Upper Midwest.” The Corps had come to see there were many community ideas about the best uses for this sand, Edstrom said. Under the new pact, the Corps will pay the city a tipping fee to help manage river sand. It will be up to the city identify beneficial reuse opportunities. The agreement is non-binding, but Colonel Swenson expressed hope that it will serve both the Corps and the city for many years.