The Shell Rock River Watershed District board of managers last week approved a $345,000 engineering contract for the dredging of Fountain Lake.

The contract, with Barr Engineering Co., of Minneapolis, covers the first phase of engineering for the project. The company will complete a preliminary engineering report that includes data gathering and identifies the lake restoration objectives.

The process will also include a description of potential pipeline routes.

“There is a tremendous amount of data and work product that needs to be compiled to undertake this project,” said board Chairman Clayton Petersen in a news release. “We are excited to have Barr Engineering assisting us with this undertaking.”

The action follows the district’s purchase last fall of a 2010 IMS 7012 HP 51-foot Versi hydraulic dredge for about $340,000, along with the pipes, pumping and other equipment necessary to pump the dredge material away from the lake site for $435,000.

The entire project is estimated to cost $15 million, half of which Watershed District officials are lobbying in state funding.

“We look forward to working with the community and key agency partners in developing a clear restoration vision for this invaluable community resource,” said Watershed District Administrator Brett Behnke.

Behnke said district officials hope to begin dredging in 2015.

He noted that the completion of the engineering portion of the project will give the district a better chance to receive state funding.

Behnke said officials plan to meet with staff of Gov. Mark Dayton this week about the project. Community leaders and watershed staff lobbied in front of a Senate panel for funding last month.

“We’re carrying on and moving forward with the Legislature,” he said. “We don’t know if there’s going to be a bonding bill yet, but hopefully there is and we’re aggressively going after it.”

Look to the Tribune Tuesday for information about other action taken at the meeting last week.