West Duluth and Proctor residents will see more construction equipment moving into the area, as a sediment reduction project began in the Kingsbury Creek watershed in early December. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is leading the project, which will include bank stabilization, stormwater management, improved culverts and catch-basins to reduce erosion.
The work will take place in two unnamed tributaries to Kingsbury Creek at five sites along the small stream near 68th Avenue West, and two sites along the small stream near the intersection of Highway 2 and Interstate 35. Preliminary site preparation work will be performed at both streams. Construction will continue at 68th Avenue West as long as weather allows. Where trout are present, additional in-channel work will be performed in July 2023, when construction restrictions related to trout end.
“The 2012 flood reshaped some of these streams and drove massive amounts of sediment downstream,” said DNR Project Manager Ben Nicklay. “The work we’re doing now will help these streams weather future storm events and improve the resilience of the downstream waters for the fish and wildlife that live there.”
Funding for the $700,000 project comes from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment settlement for the St. Louis River Interlake/Duluth Tar Superfund Site and the Outdoor Heritage Fund.