RIVER FALLS – At the Feb. 28 River Falls City Council meeting, the city and the US Army Corps of Engineers signed a cost-share agreement for a feasibility study that could unlock up to $10 million in federal funding to remove the two dams in River Falls and restore the river corridor to a free flowing trout stream.

In November 2022, the Corps contacted city staff to discuss a grant program that could provide up to $10 million for river restoration. This spring, the Corps will conduct a feasibility study for the city, the first step in the agency's process for taking on a river restoration project.

Nathan Wallerson, project manager and branch chief with the St. Paul District Army Corps of Engineers, spoke on behalf of District Commander Col. Swenson, who was not able to be there. “We are excited and looking forward to partnering with River Falls and future collaboration over the next several months,” Wallerson said. “I look forward to going through the study process together and looking at some of the real possibilities there are with Kinni River through town.”

The USACE is a federal agency that provides public engineering services and funding.

“If the federal government was creating an agency to assist a city like us in achieving the vision that we have for the Kinni, the Army Corps of Engineers would be the agency to do that,” said City Administrator Scot Simpson.

The feasibility study will determine the ecological benefits to dam removal and include a cost-benefit analysis. The study is required by the federal government before the Army Corps can fund a dam removal project. Corps staff will conduct the research, and city staff will support their efforts by providing needed documents and data. The initial $100,000 of the study’s costs will be fully covered with federal funds, while any further costs will be split equally between the Corps and the city. The study will span between 18-24 months.

Kinni Corridor Collaborative is the charitable arm of the Kinni implementation plan, Simpson said. They have committed to raising up to $175,000 for the city’s share of the study.

“They have committed to assist us in our local share of the feasibility cost share,” Simpson said when introducing KCC Vice President Steve Goff.

Goff presented city officials with the first installment of $50,000.  

“We could not be happier that you’ve chosen to go through with this feasibility study and we’re very, very pleased to be partnering with you,” Goff said.

After the feasibility study is complete, the city and River Falls Utility Advisory Board will review the study’s conclusions and decide whether to move forward with the agency's proposal.