The Vermillion River begins its 26 mile journey to the Mississippi River in Scott County and flows across the entire width of Dakota County. East of Hastings the river splits and flows both north and south. The north channel flows into the Mississippi near the Mississippi's confluence with the St. Croix River. The south channel flows south through the Vermillion Bottoms, a vast silver maple floodplain forest, before joining the Mississippi. Many reaches of the Vermillion River are experiencing serious bank erosion. One of the most notable unstable banks was located in the City of Vermillion, in the middle of the watershed. The eroded bank measures over 220 feet in length, with an average height of 8 feet to the normal water level. From 1997 to 1998, the bank receded over six feet and began threatening a nearby garage. Because of the increased rate of erosion and the threat to a structure, the problem became a priority for the SWCD. Funding was provide from a combination of sources. The primary source was a grant from the Metropolitan Council, which funded FMR's Vermillion Buffer Initiative. Additional funding came from the landowner, DNR, and Dakota SWCD. The total project cost came to around $20,000. In 1997, the Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District, in cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources, City of Vermillion, Vermillion River Watershed Management Organization, and the land owner (Norbert Girgen), applied for and received a Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) Special Projects grant to construct a demonstration project to stabilize the bank using multiple state-of-the-art bioengineering techniques to meet the following objectives: Reduce the sediment load to the River and improve downstream water quality Create more productive fish habitat Protect the adjacent property Provide a demonstration project for other erosion problems on the Vermillion River The Project design includes the following combination of innovative use of large boulders and bioengineering: boulder vanes, boulder toe, nine root wads, willow posts, fascines, and live stakes. The project budget was $17,000 plus agency staff time to collect and install the live materials. This project would not have been possible without the help of the following individuals: Norbert Girgen (the landowner), Jason Moeckel (DNR), Laura Jester (SWCD), Kevin Bigalke (DNR), Marty Melchior (DNR), Peter Leete (DNR), John Crellin (NRCS), Brian Watson (SWCD), Phil Belfiori (BWSR), Julie Westerlund (DNR), Mitch Sawh (SWCD SRF Engineer), Melissa Leiser (DNR), Pat Stiemke (SWCD SRF Engineer), and Danny and Randy of Nadeau Construction. This project was successfully constructed (and will hopefully work) because of you! Thanks, JR. Photos (April 22, 1999): After (1999): 2000 July 15, 2004