City of Wabasha Sends New Lower Pool 4 Dredge Plan to USACE

The City of Wabasha and the Wabasha Port Authority last week sent a new dredge material management plan (DMMP) for Lower Pool 4 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Image source: USACE

According to an official announcement, this proposal is responsive to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into by the city and USACE on June 5, 2018, and has the following key benefits:

 

  • It serves a realistic least-cost dredge material disposal alternative consistent with federal law, USACE regulations, and previous section 217(d) agreements entered into by USACE throughout the Country;
  • It would eliminate USACE’s need to use the controversial South Side Fitzgerald, Drysdale and Drysdale Farms sites as permanent dredge material transfer and/or placement sites;
  • It serves as the basis for a long-term least-cost plan for managing dredged material in Lower Pool 4 that is supported and could be sustained by the City/WPA in partnership with USACE and the United States Congress.

The 20-year DMMP as proposed relies upon dredge material transfer/placement alternatives generally consistent with the most recent discussions with USACE and would be implemented using a phased approach; phase 1 of the plan would be implemented through the first 10 year section 271(d) agreement, and phase 2, which could be implemented by a renewed section 217(d) agreement, would be identified for future implementation in the DMMP.