Corps seeks public comments on potential Wacouta Bay restoration project

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District
Published Aug. 21, 2023
A photo of Wacouta Bay with white text over it that reads "Seeking public comments"

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is seeking comments on the draft Environmental Assessment, or EA, on the Wacouta Bay ecosystem restoration project near the head of Lake Pepin in Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is seeking public comments on a draft Environmental Assessment, or EA, for a proposed ecosystem restoration project in Wacouta Bay.

Wacouta Bay is located near the head of Lake Pepin in Pool 4 of the Upper Mississippi River. The lands in the area are owned by the state of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is the non-federal sponsor for the proposed Corps of Engineers’ project.

The proposed project includes improving and restoring habitat by building peninsulas, creating and enhancing flood plain forest, improving shoreline protection, dredging for fish habitat and using dredged material to create emergent wetlands.

A final determination on the draft EA will be made following a 30-day public review period. A copy of the EA can be viewed and downloaded from the St. Paul District website at: http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/PublicNotices.aspx.

The Corps of Engineers is conducting a review of the environmental effects in accordance with the National Environment Policy Act. 

Comments on the draft EA should be submitted no later than Sept. 29. Questions and comments concerning the project should be directed to NESP.ECOS.STP@usace.army.mil. Please address all correspondence on this project to the St. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attention: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E1500, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1678.

All comments received will be made available to the public to include the possibility of being posted on a publicly accessible website. Individuals are requested not to include personal privacy information, such as home addresses or home phone numbers, in their comments, unless they do not object to such information being made available to the public.

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Release no. 23-056