LCCMR approves release of 4.6 acres from ENRTF-funded easement to allow Renville County bridge replacement

The LCCMR on July 30 voted to allow Renville County to remove 4.6 acres from a conservation easement acquired with ENRTF funds so the county can build a replacement bridge and relocate County Road 21. The motion, moved by Commissioner Westrom and read into the record by staff, carried on a roll-call vote of 15 yes, 0 no.

BWSR staff told the commission the original easement—acquired in the 1990s to protect 56.5 acres of riparian land along the Minnesota River—was intended to protect floodplain and habitat. The staff memo and packet said Bowser's alteration policy requires repayment when ENRTF-funded land is released; staff reported a calculated compensation of $44,401 to be paid to the ENRTF if the commission approves the release. "The applicant is requesting 4.6 acres of land be removed from the conservation easement for construction of a replacement bridge and relocation of County Road 21 in Renville County," staff said during the presentation.

County engineer Jeremy LeBlanc told commissioners the existing through-truss bridge is structurally deficient and closed in 2023; the realigned structure will be a wider concrete bridge to carry heavier farm and emergency equipment. LeBlanc said the project's estimate is $5,500,000, with $3,900,000 in federal funds and $1,300,000 in state-aid bridge dollars, and warned that "should this easement not be granted as a release, that would jeopardize that funding, and most likely, the project would not move forward." The commission instructed staff to work with the applicant on implementation language following approval.

The vote was recorded as 15 yes, 0 no. Members asked about mitigation for habitat and were told riparian seed mixes and vegetation restoration would be part of the road work. BWSR staff said the alteration policy generally prefers replacement on private land but allows repayment rather than replacement for public road projects of this kind.