Drummer Wetland Restoration/Blue Earth County Ditch No. 25
Blue Earth County, MN | Water
Overview
ISG partnered with a local landowner in Blue Earth County to design a wetland restoration of a shallow lake originally tiled in the early 1900s and replace a portion of a failing County Drainage System. The project included a comprehensive wetland restoration plan to maintain and improve the quality, quantity, and biological diversity of wetland resources within the watershed. The restoration provided multiple benefits to the local landscape including water quality, wildlife habitat, restored vegetation, and storage for the public drainage system.
Opportunity
ISG developed a comprehensive wetland restoration plan designed to benefit the local landscape by improving water quality, preserving wildlife habitats, restoring vegetation, and providing much needed storage for the drainage system.
Solution
The Drummer Wetland Bank is a restoration of a small lake in Blue Earth County within the Le Sueur River Watershed. ISG prepared a plan to restore the area to a 30 -acre, eight-foot-deep wetland with a contiguous 30-acre native prairie upland buffer. Hydrology to the wetland basin was restored by filling the existing ditch, removing 800 feet of existing tile line, and constructing a berm and outlet structure on the east side of the basin. As a result, the restored wetland basin now functions as a Type 5 Open Water Wetland with a transitional fringe. Vegetation was restored by seeding the wetland, transition, and native prairie upland zones, and planting a mosaic of emergent and submergent aquatic plants in the open water areas. Restoration and wetland creation enhanced the surrounding hydrologic and ecologic functions including water quality, variety of habitat, and diversity of native plants.