ACD recently had several projects where the contractor used barges to stabilize shorelines that are otherwise be difficult to reach. It has allowed us to stabilize some of the highest priority shorelines and added efficiency to the work. Recent projects have been on Martin Lake and the Rum & Mississippi Rivers. 

Small excavators work from the barge itself. The barge is moved up and down the shoreline. In this way the equipment is never driven in the water where it would disturb sediment and destroy aquatic vegetation. For more information contact Jamie Schurbon, Wetland Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

This June, ACD is planting 10 lakeshore buffers, part of a shoreline stabilization totaling nearly 800 feet of shoreline at three lakes. Native plants help hold in place the shoreline soils against erosion and provide near shore habitat. ACD and its project partners, such as the Sunrise River Watershed Management Organization, have goals of increasing native and stable shorelines. 

"Disappearing" natural shorelines is affecting lake health at many waterbodies in the region. ACD staff regularly assists homeowners who wish to do native shoreline buffers. With a little guidance, these projects can be do-it-yourself installation, or professionally installed. Cost share grants are available. Big or small, each is a step toward healthier, cleaner lakes and rivers. For more information contact, Watershed Projects Manager, Jamie Schurbon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 763-434-2030 ext 210.  

Seven properties totaling 540 feet of shoreline will be stabilized at Lake George in the coming months. The projects are part of efforts to reverse a trend of declining water quality in the lake and enhance near shore habitat. All of the project sites are on private properties with active shoreline erosion. The work will reduce sediment entering Lake George by 8 tons/yr and phosphorus by 12 lbs/yr.

The seven sites were chosen from all around the lake, and the places where ACD staff determined the greatest pollutant reductions could be achieved with the greatest certainty. We used existing shoreline inventories to identify 35 properties with actively eroding shoreline. Of those properties, 25 expressed interested. ACD staff visited each property and heard first-hand from those landowners about their shorelines. Finally, each shoreline was scored relative to erosive forces, current erosion, benefits of upland buffers to filter runoff, pollutant reduction calculations, and likelihood of success.

$70,000 in grant funds is available for construction. That dollar amount limits work to approximately the top seven projects, however more will be done if construction bids are low. Funding is from a Watershed Based Implementation grant from the MN Board of Water and Soil Resources. The programs for this grant were selected by a team of local partners including city, watershed organization, and soil and water conservation district representatives. Collaborators on the Lake George shoreline program include the Upper Rum River Watershed Management Organization and Lake George Conservation Club.

Shoreline stabilization measures will vary. All include rock or natural fiber protection at the water's edge, as well as a native plant shoreline buffer. Some will include regrading to a stable slope.

Owners of properties selected for shoreline stabilization are being notified now. Surveying, design, and construction bidding will occur in 2021.Projects will be installed in spring 2022.