Pennington County has received the County Conservation Award for its County Ditch 96 project. The award recognized the county’s leadership, innovation and excellence in protecting or improving natural resources. The Association of Minnesota Counties and Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources presented the honor to county leaders in December.
According to the nomination letter, “the CD 96 outlet project was a cooperative effort involving multiple funding sources to address both drainage and water quality issues. The drainage area of CD 96 is over 20,000 acres in western Pennington County and outlets into the Red Lake River south of St. Hilaire. Slope stability has been an ongoing issue for decades with shallow slope failures occurring along the south bank.
“HDR Inc. provided engineering services for the project and completed the first site reconnaissance and survey Nov. 5, 2019. A geotechnical analysis and report memorandum was completed Feb. 1, 2020, to determine the cause of the bank failures and aid in project design. A combination of groundwater seepage and weak soil was determined to be the cause of the shallow slope failures along the south bank impacting the drainage system and water quality of the Red Lake River. HDR Inc. recommended a riprap toe filter that involved excavating the toe of the slope and placing riprap with a two stage, sand and gravel filter behind it. The riprap toe filter draws the groundwater away from the slope providing a stable bank.”
Due to the size and cost of the project, it was divided into two phases. Total construction costs for Phase 1 and 2 of the CD 96 project were $792,874. Engineering costs, including geotechnical costs, totaled $101,454, according to Peter Nelson, district manager of the Pennington SWCD.
“Construction of Phase 1, located east of Highway 32 to the Red Lake River, was completed in November 2020. Nearly 900 feet of the south bank was stabilized in phase 1. Much of the funding for phase 1 was a Clean Water Fund grant from the Red Lake SWCD. Strong partnerships created through the One Watershed, One Plan process and a watershed approach to addressing water quality issues led to the successful implementation of Phase 1.
“Phase 2 continued west of Highway 32 along the south slope. The Pennington SWCD secured a Clean Water Fund grant to fund much of the project and engineering expenses. Additional funding sources included a federal 319 grant, Watershed-Based Implementation Funding, and the Ditch Authority. Final plans were completed by HDR Inc. on March 15, 2022. Pennington County awarded the bid to Davidson Construction for Phase 2 of the project on April 26, 2022. Mike Flaagan, Pennington County engineer, provided construction oversight for Phase 2. Nearly a half-mile of the south bank was stabilized. In total, 3,500 feet of the south bank was stabilized, resulting in an estimated 750 tons per year of sediment reduction.”
The nomination letter said, “The project is a significant county achievement because it was the first Pennington County project that benefitted from the enhanced partnerships created through the Red Lake River One Watershed, One Plan process. The partnerships led to better project coordination and access to additional funding sources.” These partners included Pennington County, the Pennington Soil and Water Conservation District, Red Lake County SWCD and Red Lake Watershed District.