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GLRI funded projects helped prevent wash outs from spring flooding

July 19, 2012

Ashland County had just finished installing two aging culverts constructed with Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding when heavy rains hit in May. The new culverts weathered the storm then and again in June when rains spurred flooding that resulted in more than $1 million in damage to public infrastructure for Ashland and Bayfield counties. The rains left some town officials scurrying to address washed out roads and failed culverts.

"One thing that made me feel good about these culverts...is that they were able to withstand the storm that caused problems around the county," said Tom Fratt, conservationist for the Ashland County Land and Water Conservation Department.

The culverts were designed to weather 100-year flood events, reducing the risk of failure due to debris blockage. The Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute (SOEI) at Northland College secured $251,414 in GLRI money in 2010 on behalf of the Chequamegon Bay Area Partnership (CBAP) to fund such projects. The grant targeted efforts to restore habitats for fish and other wildlife in the region.

The two culverts replaced by Ashland County were located on Bear Trap Creek. Another culvert on a tributary to Bear Trap Creek will be replaced this summer, and two farmers in the area are working with the Land Conservation Department to complete best management practices designed to slow the flow of runoff and improve streamside conditions in the watershed.

It is a stream that is very important for the tribal interests since Bear Trap Creek feeds the Kakagon Sloughs," said Fratt. "Any excess sediment or runoff from roads may affect the habitat there, which is home to wild rice beds, sturgeon, walleye, and other species of interest down in the lake."

CBAP members like Ashland and Iron counties implemented several culvert replacement projects within their townships using GLRI funding. In addition, the Bad River Watershed Association (BRWA) replaced culverts with GLRI money specifically awarded to its Culvert Restoration Program. By fall 2012, the group will have installed 15 new culverts with the help of other CBAP partners since the program began in 2003. The projects have restored access to 20 miles of stream habitat for trout and other aquatic species. BRWA's restored culvert sites also withstood this spring's heavy rains. As a result, some town officials like Dan Vaillancourt, Town of Lincoln Supervisor, are breathing a sigh of relief.

"Working with partners like the Bad River Watershed Association and County Conservation Departments, we've replaced three problem culvert sites in the Town of Lincoln since 2009," said Vaillancourt. "All held up nicely to the recent storms and this partnership has saved the Town of Lincoln over $40,000 in road maintenance costs. That's huge for a small town like ours."

Three towns in Iron County - Saxon, Gurney, and Knight - installed four new culverts through GLRI funds secured by the SOEI at Northland College on behalf of the Chequamegon Bay Area Partnership, with three more in progress. In each case, towns paid a fraction of the cost for the work than they would have without GLRI money.

"They would not have been able to do it without the grant money," said MaryJo Gingras, county conservationist for the Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department. "Towns and cities are facing budget cuts and are struggling to make ends meet. Road maintenance is one of their major costs."

To start the process, Gingras said she wrote to all the Town chairmen asking if they had culverts that washed out regularly or ones that barred the passage of fish. The towns responded with more than a dozen projects-and Gingras was able to fund all the ones that qualified.

"A lot of towns were opting for inexpensive pipes, but then their roads would wash out again and again every year," Gingras said. "The grant has been essential for restoring fish and wildlife habitats and addressing erosion in our Lake Superior streams and tributaries."

Not only was Iron County able to fund all eligible culvert projects, but the department came in under budget. The county was able to transfer unused grant dollars to Ashland County for culvert and habitat restoration projects. Members of the Chequamegon Bay Area Partnership agree that the group has been able to accomplish more together through their cooperative efforts.

The Chequamegon Bay Area Partnership is a unique coalition of federal, state and local natural resource agencies, tribes, municipalities, nonprofit organizations, county land and water conservation professionals, Northland College staff and faculty. The group collaborates to provide more effective and efficient natural resource management in the Chequamegon Bay region. In addition to the SOEI, participating members have been comprised of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Red Cliff and Bad River Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa, Ashland, Bayfield and Iron Counties, the Cities of Ashland and Bayfield, the Bad River Watershed Association, the Northwoods Cooperative Weed Management Area, UW Extension, the Bayfield Regional Conservancy, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. For more information visit https://www.northland.edu/cbap.htm