Courtesy Photo | Solar system installed at the Eau Galle Recreation Area in 2021.... read more read more
When it comes to sustainability, the St. Paul District is working diligently to strengthen the value to the nation by enhancing recreation areas with upgrades that are noticeable and seamless to the general public.
Specifically, the Eau Galle Reservoir and Blackhawk Park have seen positive sustainable changes through the years that will continue in the future – inspiring people and creating lasting experiences, said Mississippi River Recreation and Eau Galle section chief Kevin Berg.“For example, pedestrians will experience a floating pedestrian bridge in the near future,” Berg said.
Current funding for the floating bridge structure will cross the Eau Galle River in the main day use area to the northwest day use area, providing quicker access from the Highland Ridge Campground to the beach and related day use facilities for campers. Currently users need to drive from the campground to the main day use area to use the facilities. However, now they will be able to walk from the campground to the day use area, thereby saving time and money as less fuel will be consumed by the users, and less impact to the environment to drive around the park (approximately 13 miles one way). This project is currently being worked on for acquisition of the bridge structure.
In 2021, a solar system installation at the Eau Galle Project was also funded for the main office building. This project is currently in its construction stage, so no cost savings data is available but will eventually provide additional energy and dollars savings at this location.
As the district’s first sustainability funded project of 2016, the Eau Galle office building installed a geothermal system to provide energy and cost savings over the long term for heating and cooling the office building.
“To date, there’s been a significant savings 500-1000 gallons of LP gas a year to heat offices and reduce energy consumption,” Berg said. “As time goes on, it will provide even better energy savings regarding the geothermal system.”
Eau Galle Reservoir isn’t alone in recent upgrades.
In 2021, Blackhawk Park, the largest public use facility in Pool 9 of the mighty Mississippi River, located north of De Soto, Wisconsin, secured an electric utility type vehicle, or UTV, for the park ranger’s use. The UTV will provide dollar savings in fuel consumption as it enables the park to reduce their government vehicle fleet by one, thereby eliminating that annual cost as well.
This year, the park received funding for replacement of an underground septic tank at a volunteer fee contractor campsite, solar installations at the park office and the campground shower facility and replacement furnaces and hot water heaters at the main park office and shower facility.
“These new upgrades will save tax dollars through energy savings, efficiencies in energy consumptions and reduce potential impacts to the environment,” Berg added.
It is the district’s responsibility to apply principles of good environmental stewardship to the natural resources located on Corps administered lands. The district has received approximately $3.2 million in assisting the parks with 74 projects focused on recreation and flood risk management.
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| Date Taken: | 07.11.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 07.22.2022 14:04 |
| Story ID: | 425576 |
| Location: | ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Parks get upgrades for environmental sustainability, by Elizabeth Stoeckmann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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