The Kandiyohi County Drainage Authority on Tuesday approved draft findings and an order to allow a petition to impound, reroute and divert County Ditch 20 waters at the Lake Calhoun outlet, a project that includes replacing outlet and diversion structures with rock‑arch rapids and replacing a timber vehicle bridge.

Austin Hillbrands, Kandiyohi County drainage manager, said the authority received a petition under Minnesota Statute 103E.227 and that engineer Nick Wires of Stantec filed an engineer’s report with the county auditor‑treasurer on Oct. 22, 2025. “The purpose of today’s hearing is to hear a presentation on the engineer’s report of findings, to hear public comments about the project, and to determine if the project will be a public or private benefit,” Hillbrands told the board.

Wires presented the Lake Calhoun Outlet Repair Project on behalf of Stantec and the Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District. He said the work would replace the existing outlet and diversion stop‑logs with a series of rock‑arch rapids — low‑slope, stone weirs designed to improve fish passage — and install a sheet‑pile weir to set the court‑ordered control elevation. Wires described the design as a gently sloped rock ramp with embedded weirs (about 0.5 feet of drop per weir in this design), pool habitat downstream, hand‑placed boulders roughly 36–60 inches in diameter, and a gradual widening of the existing channel; the project also calls for a concrete‑deck bridge with a protected 4‑foot walk.

Wires said the project is funded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and that no County Ditch 20 funds were requested because the county ditch reach within the project boundary did not require separable ditch repairs. He reviewed permits and approvals needed and in progress, including DNR review for work in public waters, Wetland Conservation Act review with a replacement plan, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers no‑rise certificate, and a Clean Water Act permit the project has already received. The contractor selection is pending final permitting, Wires added.

Hillbrands read the proposed draft findings and order, which would make the petitioner responsible for design, construction and proceedings costs and would require filing an as‑built plan with the county auditor‑treasurer on completion. He also said the DNR will take ownership of the constructed rock‑arch rapids structure and the vehicle bridge within the County Ditch 20 channel and will be responsible for future maintenance; the DNR will not modify the structure without authorization from the Kandiyohi County Drainage Authority under Minnesota statute 103E.

Chair Gardner opened the hearing for public comment; no speakers came forward and the county received no written comments. Commissioner Mdeck moved to accept the staff recommendation to approve the draft findings and order; the motion was seconded and, by roll call, the authority recorded five ayes and zero nays, approving the order.

Construction outreach and schedule presented to the authority included an open house held July 28; tree removal already completed under bat restrictions; anticipated low‑flow rock work possibly beginning this winter and continued staging that will keep the road and bridge open in some capacity during much of construction; removal of the bridge in September of next year with substantial completion in November and final restoration by July 1, 2027, subject to permitting and contractor scheduling. The engineer indicated the project’s no‑rise hydraulic analysis showed no adverse increase in water surface elevations at critical downstream cross sections in the 100‑year event, outside a localized rise across the planned rock‑arch rapids themselves.

The drainage authority’s order requires the petitioner to pay all costs of the proceedings. The petitioner, engineer and DNR will be responsible for final as‑built documentation and long‑term maintenance once the state accepts ownership of the constructed facilities.

The authority’s action ends the public hearing portion of the meeting; the board later reconvened as the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners and continued with other county business.