Radio Tower Bay Dredging Begins

The $4 million worth St Louis River Estuary habitat restoration project is underway at Radio Tower Bay in Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota. The main objective of the project is to remove approximately 115,000 cubic yards of wood waste and unclassified sediment from approximately 29 acres of the Bay.

Dredging operation are being performed by a barge stationed in the bay and will last until November 15th, according to a local news website.

The hydraulically dredged material will be transported approximately 1.3 miles north of the project site to Mud Lake via a temporary slurry transportation pipeline system and dewatered using geotextile tubes.

Dredged material will be stored in the tubes on‐site for at least one year to allow full dewatering. Reuse of the material is planned as topcover on industrial clean up and restoration sites on adjacent properties.

Restoration will include appropriate grading to original condition, removing temporary erosion and sediment control structures and re‐vegetating exposed soils.

The project was developed by NOAA in cooperation with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Land Trust.

[mappress]

October 10, 2014