Rice Creek Watershed District shifts strategy to combat sediment loading with stream stabilization study

Rice Creek Watershed District shifts strategy to combat sediment loading with stream stabilization studyFacing skyrocketing dredging costs that topped $1.1 million in 2022, the Minnesota utility is evaluating stream bank restoration alternatives to reduce sediment transport into Long Lake.

The RCWD board approved a $24,630 contract with Emmons and Oliver Resources (EOR) to conduct a stream stability feasibility study on Middle Rice Creek.

The district has historically relied on a sediment basin upstream of Long Lake, but dredging costs surged from the low hundreds of thousands in 2012 to $1.1 million in 2022.

Historical channelization and increased stormwater runoff have accelerated stream bank erosion, prompting the shift toward restoring natural meanders to reduce water velocity.

The board also adopted its 2027 budget totaling $15.5 million, supported by a $6.1 million tax levy.

The Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD) in Minnesota is reevaluating its approach to managing sediment and nutrient transport along Middle Rice Creek, moving away from costly dredging operations in favor of proactive stream bank stabilization. During its September 9, 2026, meeting, the RCWD Board of Managers approved a $24,630 contract with Emmons and Oliver Resources (EOR) to conduct a feasibility study for stream stability near Irondale High School. The contract includes an allowance for amendments up to 10% of the price. The section of Rice Creek flowing from Baldwin Lake to Long Lake was channelized in the early 1900s. According to Lake and Stream Manager Matt Kocian, this historical straightening, combined with increased peak flows from regional development and stormwater runoff, has led to severe stream bank erosion. The resulting sediment and nutrients flow downstream, forming a large sediment delta in Long Lake. For decades, the district's primary mitigation strategy was maintaining a constructed sediment basin just upstream of Long Lake. While effective at capturing sediment by widening the stream to reduce water velocity, the basin has become increasingly expensive to maintain. Kocian noted that dredging costs rose from the low hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2012 to $1.1 million during the most recent cleanout in 2022. Further complicating future dredging efforts, a local contractor that previously allowed the district to pump sand onto an adjacent property has sold the land for redevelopment. "I'm not even sure if it would be technically feasible without that land present to do the dewatering," Kocian told the board. To address the root cause of the erosion, the district has been implementing meander restoration projects over the past 20 years, reconnecting the stream to historic meanders to reduce water velocity and shear stress. The newly approved EOR study will evaluate alternatives and develop cost estimates for stabilizing the next highest-priority segment near Irondale High School. While the stabilization efforts are designed to reduce accelerated erosion to a more natural background state, some board discussion noted that the project may not completely eliminate the need to periodically dredge the downstream sediment basin in the future. In other business, the board formally adopted the district's 2027 budget of $15,526,735, which will be supported by a $6,143,782 tax levy certified to Anoka, Ramsey, Hennepin, and Washington counties.