Root River’s most significant restoration project takes shape in the Driftless

LANESBORO, MINN. — More than a century after a hydroelectric dam set the Root River on a new course, conservationists are looking to put the Bluff Country channel back on its natural path.

Later this fall, crews will begin clearing a half-mile portion of the original riverbed just north of Lanesboro with the goal of rerouting the channel after next year’s growing season.

The removal of the Brightsdale Dam in 2003 freed the river’s flow but created a new problem. Conservationists estimate that 540 tons — or 40 dump truck loads — of sediment are stripped from the riverbanks each year.

Wildlife officials believe the $1 million project could become a model for preserving fish habitat and protecting against erosion and pollution along the 80-mile river that stretches across southeast Minnesota and into the Mississippi River.

“Ultimately, this project is taking something that was affected and altered by the dam back over a hundred years ago and resetting back to where it would have been if that dam wasn’t there,” said Jeff Weiss, a hydrologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The hydroelectric dam was built in 1915 and brought power to Preston, Harmony and Canton. Lines were later extended across the region to include Mabel, Spring Grove, Fountain, Caledonia and Houston.

To generate electricity, workers spent years blasting and digging through a bluff to construct a 1,750-foot tunnel that sent water pouring down 20 feet to power the turbines. The tunnel still exists today, as does a portion of the original dam structure, both because of the cost of removal and the importance to local history.

“It blows my mind how they were able to do that stuff back in the day,” Weiss said, pointing to historical records that show crews worked around the clock to chip away at the rock.

The dam swapped hands several times before it stopped producing electricity altogether by the mid-20th century. But the ecological harm it caused only became clear after it was breached and then dismantled years later.

The artificial 90-degree turn the Root River takes today has led to significant erosion over the past two decades, resulting in the loss of at least a dozen acres of land. And there are signs the problem is worsening; during flooding in June, another 15 feet of shoreline was lost to the river.

“It’s an unstable site right now,” Weiss said. “All of the sediment has come out of the site and is being deposited downstream, to the point that this stretch of the north branch of the river is now impaired for turbidity.”

Just downstream from the former dam site, a separate but connected project is also taking shape. The nonprofit Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center is set to begin work on an $866,000 stabilization effort to lower and strengthen the banks of the river and recreate the natural floodplain. Both projects are being funded by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, which gets revenue from the Minnesota Lottery.

Colleen Foehrenbacher, executive director of Eagle Bluff, said in addition to the environmental benefits, the center plans to use the projects to educate students about being good stewards of the area’s natural resources.

Plans are in the works for a canoe launch that would allow visitors to make a loop around the Eagle Bluff property. The center also wants to install cameras in the riverbanks to monitor fish migration.

“Water quality is everything,” Foehrenbacher said. “And these restoration events will show us that.”

Riley Buley, administrator for the Fillmore Soil and Water Conservation District, said he believes the investments in the Root River could help the public see the importance of protecting waterways. He highlighted the key role the river plays in the local economy and culture — from fly fishing for trout to canoeing, kayaking and tubing.

“The natural resource economy is huge here,” said Buley, “and the Root River is a big part of that.”