Pelican River Dams Update April 16th 2020
Dedication, August 9, 2018
On August 9, 2018, the project partners and supporters gathered for a brief ceremony to dedicate the dam. We are very proud of this project and are already seeing the benefits for fish and wildlife habitat and recreation. Thanks to all project partners and supporters! See photos below.
Photos from June 22, 2018
The construction of the rock rapids fishway is completed! The only work left to complete is some site cleanup and seeding.
Update: May 9, 2018
Construction is mostly complete! The main weir and the rock arches are installed. See the reports below for more detail.
WeeklySummary_05-6-18_Fish Lake Dam
WeeklySummary_04-1-18_Fish Lake Dam
WeeklySummary_03-25-18_Fish Lake Dam
WeeklySummary_03-18-18_Fish Lake Dam
WeeklySummary_03-11-18_Fish Lake Dam
WeeklySummary_03-4-18_Fish Lake Dam
Fish Lake Dam, May 2018. Photo from MN DNR.
Construction Begins on Fish Lake Dam Makeover
February 9, 2018
In late 2016, the Pelican Group of Lakes Improvement District (PGOLID) was awarded a Conservation Partners Legacy Grant from the DNR for funding to complete a modification of the Fish Lake Dam into a Rock Arch Rapids Fishway. The US Fish and Wildlife Service also contributed funding from their Fish Passage program. PGOLID is working with Houston Engineering for survey, design and oversight of the project.
In late 2017, Hough, Inc out of Detroit Lakes was awarded the contract for construction of the project. Construction is scheduled to take place this February and March 2018. The project should substantially be completed by the end of March 2018. Time-lapse photography will track the project’s progress and be available when it’s completed.
Through the construction, the current dam will not be removed but will be modified. This new fishway will be built to hold water levels exactly as the current dam does, so that homeowners don’t notice a difference. To ensure the new fishway functions the same as the current dam, water level monitoring in the stream and lake has already been occurring to establish baseline conditions and will also occur after the project. The rocks can be adjusted in the summer if needed for precise elevation targets.
PGOLID would like to thank all the project partners including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Houston Engineering, Hough Inc, Community Advisory Board, and property owners and managers for their support in the grant application and now the implementation of the project. PGOLID is involved in many improvement projects around Pelican, Little Pelican, Bass, and Fish Lakes including water quality monitoring, shoreline restoration, tree planting, Aquatic Invasive Species management, and education. To read more about PGOLID visit their website at https://pgolid.org.
Any questions about this project can be directed to Moriya Rufer, RMB Environmental Laboratories Inc., Aquatic Ecologist and Lake Coordinator for PGOLID, 218-846-1465, moriya.rufer@rmbel.info.
Published in the Pelican Rapids Press_2-13-18
Published in the Detroit Lakes Tribune 2-22-18
Update: December 11, 2017
All permits for this project have been approved. The request for construction bids went out in early October. Hough, Inc, (based in Detroit Lakes, MN) was the lowest responsible bid, and therefore was accepted. Construction will begin in early 2018 with the project mostly completed by spring of 2018.
PGOLID Receives Sizable DNR Grant for Fish Lake Dam Makeover
December 20, 2016
Natural Rock Dam and Dunton Locks on Lake Sallie
The Fish Lake Dam, located near Dunvilla on the Pelican River, was built in 1932 for the purpose of maintaining consistent water levels in Pelican Lake. This dam has a long and storied history, including numerous partial washouts and patches, which caused drops in lake water levels of Pelican Lake and have left the dam in deteriorating shape.
An additional problem created by this dam, and many dams in general, is that they are barriers that make dispersal for river species difficult both up and downstream, but these structures can be converted in such a way that they are more favorable to passage of fish, muskrats, otters, shorebirds, waterfowl, salamanders, frogs, crayfish and other invertebrate species. As part of the Red River of the North Fisheries Management Plan, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has listed goals of removing barriers to restore uninterrupted fish migration pathways.
Natural Rock Dam at Dunton Locks by Lake S
The Pelican Group of Lakes Improvement District (PGOLID), a taxing entity of lake property owners on Pelican, Little Pelican, Bass and Fish Lakes, has
been working with the DNR on ideas for a more permanent fix to the dam to improve its structure, safety, and habitat for fish and wildlife. The design that would fit the goals of all groups involved, is to modify the dam into a rock arch rapids fishway, which is a structure that mimics shallow natural waterfalls in rivers that can be traversed by fish moving up and downstream from the falls. A similar structure already exists at Dunton Locks County Park near Detroit Lakes and another was just completed this past summer in Barnesville on the Whisky Creek at the Blue Eagle Lake Park. This design would provide a long-term fix to the 84-year-old dam, which will (a) improve the functionality of the dam, (b) provide easier dispersal for river species up and downstream, and (c) provide spawning substrate for sturgeon. Even though this project covers less than one acre of land, it will benefit the 14,790 acres of lakes and 84 river miles in the entire Pelican River Watershed by restoring connections.
This fall, PGOLID submitted a Conservation Partners Legacy Grant to the DNR for funding to complete this project. As part of the grant application, PGOLID obtained project funding partners including the Pelican Lake Property Owners Association (PLPOA), Fargo-Moorhead Muskies Inc., the Red River Area Sportsmen’s Club, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In past grant cycles, the probability of receiving the grant has been around 50%. Recently PGOLID was pleased to find out that they were awarded a grant in the amount of $305,255 to complete this project.
PGOLID will be working with the DNR and Houston Engineering in 2017 to modify the Fish Lake Dam into a rock arch rapids fishway. The current dam will not be removed but will be modified. This new fishway will be built to hold water levels exactly as the current dam does, so that homeowners don’t notice a difference. To ensure the new fishway functions the same as the current dam, water level monitoring in the stream and lake has already been occurring to establish baseline conditions and will also occur after the project. Construction is expected to start in late summer or fall of 2017 with completion of the new fishway done by early 2018.
PGOLID would like to thank all the project partners and adjacent property owners for their support in the grant application and now the implementation of the project. Photos, water level data, and updates will be posted on the PGOLID website throughout the project here https://pgolid.org/programs/dam/.
Any questions about this project can be directed to Moriya Rufer, RMB Environmental Laboratories Inc., Aquatic Ecologist and Lake Coordinator for PGOLID, 218-846-1465, moriya.rufer@rmbel.info.
Published in the Detroit Lakes Tribune, 12/27/2016: http://www.dl-online.com/news/4186224-fish-lake-dam-dunvilla-will-be-converted-rock-rapids
Fish Lake Dam, 2014