Over the summer and fall you probably noticed a number of bladders (geotubes) and construction equipment situated on the south side of Waldo Boulevard, very near the old Elk’s Club property. What is going on there?
I contacted Greg Minikel at the City of Manitowoc Engineering Department to get an answer. Greg provided me with a lot of information, and Jim Kettler from the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership also provided information and resources. Thanks to both gentlemen for the useful information.
The project involves dredging the Little Manitowoc River for the purpose of restoring the habitat and wetlands. You may recall the intense rainstorm that we got in June of 2008, after which this area of the Little Manitowoc dried up and looked pretty barren because a natural dam under Maritime Drive that had been holding back water washed out. The current project is seeking to restore the channel to a more natural and environmentally usable state.
The dredging is complete and the material was left to dry out before it was transported to the Gravel Pit site. Future dredging at this site is not expected.
This project is not being funded by the City. The City granted permission to the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership to manage the project. The Partnership has received several grants.
http://lnrp.org/little-manitowoc-river-partnership-lmrp/ –background on the project at the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership website
