The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is accepting comments until 4:30 p.m. May 8 on an environmental assessment worksheet related to the South Branch Wild Rice River Rock Arch Rapids Restoration Project, located in Clay County.
The Wild Rice Watershed District proposes to install a series of rock arch rapids within a 13-mile stretch of the South Branch of the Wild Rice River. Each rock arch rapids would be designed specifically to each stretch of the channel and, in general, would consist of a riprap-lined ramp and a series of rock arches or boulder weirs. The purpose of the proposed project is to restore the river’s connection with its floodplain, thereby reducing flood damage, erosion, and sediment transport, and to restore floodplain habitat and provide continued fish passage.
A copy of the EAW is available on the project page of the DNR website.
A print copy may be requested by calling 651-259-5655.
The EAW is also available for public review at the following locations:
- Fergus Falls Public Library, 205 East Hampden Avenue, Fergus Falls, MN 56537
- DNR Library, 500 Lafayette Road N, St. Paul, MN 55155
- Hennepin County – Minneapolis Central Library, Government Documents, Second Floor, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1992
The EAW notice was published in the April 8 EQB Monitor, a publication of the Environmental Quality Board.
Comments on the EAW must be submitted no later than 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8, 2025.
- Email comments should be sent to [email protected] with “South Branch Wild Rice River” in the subject line.
- Mail comments should be sent to:
- Caroline Oswald, EAW Project Manager
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
- 500 Lafayette Road, Box 25
- St. Paul, MN 55155-4025
Anyone providing a mailing address or submitting comments via email will receive a copy of the subsequent decision document, which will include 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 will be published and publicly available as they appear in the materials commenters submit.