The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is accepting comments through Nov. 12 on an environmental assessment worksheet for a proposed project to construct a protective island on the Mississippi River. The island would be located upstream of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Lock and Dam Pool 2 embankment in Dakota County, just upstream of Hastings, Minnesota.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District is proposing to protect the Lock and Dam 2 embankment from erosion by constructing an offshore protective island. The island would result in a variety of unique habitat types that are not now present in the project area.

Some of these habitat types include forest, brush/grassland, beach, fish overwintering areas and emergent wetlands.  The island would be constructed with sediments dredged from the Mississippi River.

Copies of the EAW are available on the project page. Additional copies may be requested by calling 651-259-5694.

The EAW is available for public review at: Pleasant Hill Library, 1490 S. Frontage Road, Hastings, MN  55033

The EAW was published Oct. 12 in the EQB Monitor. Written comments on the EAW may be submitted no later than 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, to the attention of: Kathy Metzker, DNR Ecological and Water Resources Division, 500 Lafayette Road, Box 25, St. Paul, MN 55155-4025.

Electronic or email comments may be sent to [email protected] with “Protective Island” in the subject line. People who submit comments will receive a copy of the decision document, which includes responses to comments.

Because all comments and related information are part of the public record for this environmental review, commenters' names and email or postal addresses, as they appear in the materials they submit, will be published and publicly available.