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Soil and Water officials highlight shoreline restorations and watershed projects in Crow Wing County
Summary
Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District staff described recent shoreline restorations, agricultural conversions and stormwater planning across five major watersheds, estimating annual reductions in phosphorus and sediment from projects completed in 2025.
Melissa Barrett, of the Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District, told the Crow Wing County Committee of the Whole that the county and district have moved from planning into implementation of comprehensive watershed management plans covering five major watersheds.
Jared Drelick, introduced as the district’s shoreline manager, summarized three recent projects: a Clamshell Lake restoration where crews removed 175 feet of failing retaining wall, regraded shorelines and planted native plugs; a conversion of 26 acres of row crops to rotational grazing to protect Deggett Brook; and a Roy Lake homeowners association project to develop a stormwater plan after severe erosion. "Pollution prevention estimates estimate that 5.1 pounds of phosphorus is kept out of Clamshell Lake each year," Drelick said, and staff described an estimated countywide benefit from 41 projects in 2025 of roughly 94 pounds of phosphorus and about 106 tons of sediment kept from local waters (staff characterized those figures as estimates).
Barrett explained the work is funded primarily through the Board of Water and Soil Resources and the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, with local partners serving as fiscal agents and landowners typically providing matching funds in cash or in-kind. She said projects serve both environmental goals and public education: highly visited resort sites can model shoreline practices to other property owners.
County commissioners asked how levy dollars fit into the funding mix; Barrett replied the watershed dollars come to local partners and current work does not use county levy money. Staff offered to provide copies of the watershed management plans and to brief commissioners on individual projects on request.
The district noted some projects required additional engineering — the Roy Lake site, for instance, needed a private engineer funded through WVIF grant dollars because the scale exceeded district design capacity — and said future work will continue to balance practicality, long-term durability and public access.
