Photo By Elizabeth Stoeckmann | (left to right) Greg Fischer, civil engineer, and Roy Lawson, lead construction...... read more read more
Once a low-level dam, Drayton dam is now a new dam with a rock passageway that creates pools for fish to pass upstream through a unique design.
Located on the Red River near Drayton, North Dakota, the project was constructed under the Fargo-Moorhead Metro Area Flood Risk Management Project as an environmental permit requirement on the river.
“We’ve used a unique design of placing boulders in a series of ‘s-shapes’ across the river,” said Elliott Stefanik, biologist for the project. “We are carefully placing the boulders in a way that directs water flowing both overtop and between boulders in a way that promotes fish passage.”
The placement and spacing of boulders creates pools, allowing for resting spots for fish. It allows fish to seek out areas where they can swim over and between boulders to get upstream.”
The design allows the river to dissipate energy flowing downstream, reducing the drowning hazard from the previous dam.
“This is a project that the Corps is implementing through partnerships with local, state and federal agencies to improve both environmental conditions and safety,” Stefanik said.
The cities of Drayton, Fargo and Moorhead; the Metro Flood Diversion Authority; the North Dakota Game and Fish Department; the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have also been involved in implementation.
“It’s a great opportunity for the public,” Stefanik said. “It’s one of the biggest fishery areas for the Red River. It provides a full parking lot with increased access to a new concrete fishing piers for people to fish on the upstream side as well as the existing area down below the fish passage.”
Contractors finished the bulk of the work this summer with finishing touches wrapping up next year with final landscaping and turf establishment.
| Date Taken: | 12.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.04.2023 11:20 |
| Story ID: | 459037 |
| Location: | DRAYTON, NORTH DAKOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 111 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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