Dam, dredging are on hold

With the state budget still unresolved, it is unknown whether the Shell Rock River Watershed District will receive funding to acquire the land around the Albert Lea Lake dam.

District Administrator Brett Behnke said the bill with the funding was recommended by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council last fall to the Legislature; however, the bill never got voted on.

The council was established by the Legislature to provide annual recommendations on how the money from the Outdoor Heritage Fund is used.

The Outdoor Heritage Fund receives one-third of the money raised by the constitutional amendment creating sales tax dedicated funds.

The total amount of funding recommended by the council to the state for the headwaters project was about $2.57 million. It also involved wetland restoration and wildlife habitat improvements.

Behnke said he hopes the bill will be voted on during the Legislature’s special session.

“It’s politics at its finest,” Behnke said. “We’ll have to see how it plays out.”

During an interview in September, Behnke said if the recommendation is approved by the state Legislature, the state would buy the land, which is 257 acres located around the dam from the current landowner, Greg Jensen. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources would eventually own and manage the land.

Behnke said at that time the land was being appraised and he estimated the price per acre was about $10,000.

Watershed officials said the acquisition of the land is the cornerstone of their efforts to create fish and wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation opportunities for the public.

Dredging Fountain Lake

Without a bonding bill passed this session by legislators, Watershed District officials will have to wait at least another year before seeing any money to go toward dredging Fountain Lake.

Behnke said the Watershed District had hoped for about $7.5 million in funding to go toward dredging the lake. This is about half of the total project cost of $15 million.

The money would have included engineering, designing, dredging, sludge storage and disposal.

Funding from the local option half-cent sales tax would cover the other half of the costs.

The dredging project will give better water clarity and provide the photosynthesis needed for plants to grow on the lake bed.