St. Paul’s largest and arguably most overlooked lake is about to receive 400,000 cubic yards of dredge soil from the Mississippi River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday that it will use river soil to create six new islands in Pig’s Eye Lake, a 600-acre wetland area that sits across the river from the St. Paul Downtown Airport and south of Lower Afton Road and Battle Creek Regional Park.
Working with Ramsey County, the Army Corps has awarded a $14.7 million contract to LS Marine Inc. of St. Paul to create island and wetland features on Pig’s Eye Lake, including the restoration of marsh habitat and new terrestrial plantings, with the stated benefit of protecting against shoreline erosion.