Albert Lea Watershed District OKs $7.7M dredging contract

The Shell Rock River Watershed District Board of Managers has approved a $7.7 million contract with dredging company J.F. Brennan Co. for the third and final phase of dredging on Fountain Lake in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

The project is set to remove about 600,000 cubic yards of sediment from portions of Bancroft Bay, Bancroft Creek, and the east basin of Fountain Lake’s main bay.

According to Shell Rock River Watershed District Administrator, Andy Henschel, the dredging works will begin in the spring and take two years to complete. 

The District said in a press release that the sediment removal is a major step toward improving water quality and moving the Lake closer to delisting it from Minnesota’s Impaired Waters List.

Also, the project advances the goals outlined in the One Watershed, One Plan Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan, developed with support from local and state partners.