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DNR proposes ditch abandonment and peatland restoration to reduce mercury in Upper Red Lake
Summary
DNR presenters asked Beltrami County for support to abandon some north-Red-Lake ditches and conduct a feasibility study, saying peatland drainages contained up to four to eight times higher mercury levels and that initial projects would be covered by state and federal funds.
Charlie Tucker of DNR wildlife and Tyler Oregon, a Red Lake DNR biologist, presented a peatland restoration proposal that centers on abandoning some aging agricultural ditches north of Upper Red Lake.
Tyler summarized monitoring results, saying peatland-influenced drainages measured "4 to 8 times higher in mercury levels" compared with non-peatland areas. Tucker said many of those ditches were originally installed for agriculture but now serve little or no agricultural purpose; their continued drainage can transport atmospherically-deposited mercury into Upper Red Lake, where it accumulates in walleye. He described restoration work using spoil-pile regrading, vegetation and beaver-dam analogs to slow water flow and restore hydrology. "This project would not cost the county a dollar," Tucker said, explaining that state and federal project funds have been earmarked for implementation.
Presenters recommended commissioning a feasibility study, continued baseline monitoring and coordination with tribal partners and private landowners. Commissioners signaled tentative support for continuing design and coordination with county ditch staff; no formal vote was taken. Speakers noted potential local issues (snowmobile trail routing, timber stands, and fisheries concerns) and emphasized outreach to landowners and tribal fisheries experts before construction.
