Minnesota County Completes Flood Control System Renovation

An East Willow Creek flood control structure in Fillmore County, Minn., has been restored using funding from the Clean Water Fund and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. The dam and settling pond, which was built in the 1950s, was long overdue for maintenance.

Thousands of cubic yards of topsoil had muddied the settling pond behind the dike which led to decreased sediment retention. The restoration project, which was a part of the Root River Field to Stream Partnership, also collaborated with a watershed study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The study looks to identify the impact of the flood control structure’s renovation on the watershed’s water quality.

The Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) had leftover funding from the project and is looking to continue similar projects along the rest of the watershed.