The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking comments on a proposed $725,000 bank stabilization project at Stump Lake Park near Lakota, N.D.
The project, sponsored by the Nelson County Park Board, would reshape and armor approximately 1,800 feet of shoreline at Stump Lake Park, located about 12 miles south of Lakota, N.D.
Stump Lake, which is now part of Devils Lake, has risen about 40 feet in elevation since 1993, with wave action resulting in major erosion along the western shore.
The North Dakota Outdoor Heritage Fund is providing $473,000 toward the project. The North Dakota State Water Commission is contributing $115,436, with the Park Board paying the remainder of the costs, Park Board Chairman Odell Flaagan said.
"The wave action created a near-vertical shoreline edge in which the soil mass and tree line continues to fall into the water," State Engineer Todd Sando said in his recommendation to approve the cost-share participation.
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Engineers in the Corps' Omaha District estimate the project will require about 5,000 cubic yards of earth, 2,800 cubic yards of rock riprap and nearly 4,000 square yards of geosynthetic fabric to be permanently placed on the reshaped bank.
Stump Lake had been a separate body of water for more than 170 years. But in 1999, the rising Devils Lake started trickling into Stump Lake.
The elevations of the two lakes equalized at 1,447.15 feet above sea level in September 2007.
They continued to rise at about the same rate, reaching a record elevation of 1,454.3 feet in 2011. The lakes rose to 1,451.77 feet on Thursday.
Stump Lake Park gets about 20,000 visitors per year. The park includes about 100 seasonal campsites and 30 to 40 additional spots for weekend campers, according to Flaagan.
The seasonal campground currently has a waiting list of about 80.
Previous flood-related projects have included the relocation of Stump Lake Cafe and the addition of new boat docks.
Written comments on the proposed project, which must be postmarked by June 11, should be addressed to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Omaha District), North Dakota Regulatory Office, 1513 S. 12th St., Bismarck, ND 58504.
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For additional information, contact project manager Benjamin Reile at Benjamin.D.Reile@usace.army.mil or regulatory program manager Daniel E. Cimarosti at daniel.e.cimarosti@usace.army.mil . Cimarosti also may be reached at (701) 255-0015, ext. 2001, or by visiting the North Dakota Regulatory Office in Bismarck.
