DNR and Houston Engineering present Pomme de Terre/Perkins Lake restoration plan; homeowners raise water-level concerns

Stevens County commissioners heard a multi-agency presentation on an engineered restoration plan for Christie/Perkins Lake and connected reaches of the Pomme de Terre River that would include rock-arch rapids, dredging to deepen a pool by about 4–5 feet, and using dredged material on-site to build floodplain-grade green space.

The presentation, led by Sofia, Palm de Terre River Association watershed coordinator, and supported by Ted Rood, engineer with Houston Engineering, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources staff Neil Hoggerud (river ecologist) and Mike Kelly (clean water specialist), explained the project design, permitting path and operation during construction. "Everything that's new is on our website," Sofia said, pointing the board to online drawings, data and links to background studies.

Why it matters: presenters said the design aims to improve fish passage, reduce sedimentation in the downstream pool and create more stable habitat and recreational shoreline while keeping a lake in place. The project holds a $2,500,000 grant and project leaders said the funding is flexible because the work ranks high for aquatic-organism passage in the Minnesota River Basin.

Houston Engineering described the build sequence under a controlled drawdown: notch the existing dam, slowly draw down the reservoir (likely about a month), perform construction in drier months and create a roughly 4–5 foot deep pool where dredging is proposed. Rood described moving…