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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A PROJECT AND LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT THE MUD LAKE HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT.
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CITY PROPOSAL:
WHEREAS, the City of Duluth owns the causeway across Mud Lake in the St. Louis River Estuary;
WHEREAS, in 2018, the City Council authorized the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) to embark on a comparative analysis of Restoration Options for Mud Lake (18-0693R);
WHEREAS, the comparative analysis examined four alternatives for the future of the City-owned causeway across Mud Lake, one of which was adding another opening to restore the biological and physical connections of Mud Lake to the St. Louis River;
WHEREAS, the MNDNR proposes to create a new channel, improve deep water habitat and marshes, remove a concrete structure and install a new 50-foot bridge;
WHEREAS, the MNDNR has funding to design, implement and manage the project;
WHERAS, the project design is being completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) under a separate agreement between USACE and the MNDNR;
WHEREAS, this project is part of a collaborative effort under the Great Lakes Area of Concern Program to mitigate degradation and loss of habitat from historic activities in the St. Louis River Estuary and is part of the St. Louis River’s Area of Concern Remedial Action Plan;
WHEREAS, the City has supported restoration work in the St. Louis River Estuary for more than a decade and has served as a critical partner on other Area of Concern projects;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the proper City officials are hereby authorized to execute the Mud Lake Project and License Agreement with the State of Minnesota, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit I;
FURTHER RESOLVED, there is no financial contribution required of the City of Duluth in association with this Project and License Agreement.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Mud Lake is an approximately 230-acre area of the St. Louis River Estuary that lies between Morgan Park and Gary/New Duluth. Mud Lake is bisected by a city-owned rail causeway leased by the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad. The MNDNR will implement a Habitat Restoration project to address one of nine Beneficial Use Impairments in the St. Louis River Area of Concern. The project is part of a decades-long collaborative effort between Minnesota, Wisconsin and many other agencies and organization to restore the St. Louis River.