Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: December 29, 2000

Contact: Joan Moody (202) 208-3280
Destry Jarvis (202) 208-3123

INTERIOR DEPARTMENT SAYS NEW STILLWATER BRIDGE
WILL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT ST. CROIX RIVERWAY

Washington, D.C.CSecretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt has issued a decision that a proposed new bridge crossing to be located near Stillwater, Minnesota, on the Lower St. Croix, would have no lasting direct and adverse effect on the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (NSR), a unit of the National Park System, so long as one of three mitigation alternatives is implemented as part of the new bridge project.

Babbitt signed the letter of determination following lengthy evaluation and consultation of the proposed water resources project by the Interior Department=s National Park Service under Section 7(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The new St. Croix River Crossing would be located in Washington County, Minnesota and St. Croix County, Wisconsin. It is intended to replace a functionally inadequate and structurally deficient Lift Bridge currently in operation and relieve congestion in the area.

Mitigation measures to offset the impacts of the proposed new bridge and account for the existing historic Lift Bridge have been identified by the two states. Because of the uncertainty of obtaining the needed funding and finding a future owner for the existing historic lift bridge, three additional, alternative mitigation packages have been proposed by the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation (transportation agencies) and other project sponsors. All are acceptable to the Interior Department, and any one of the following three alternatives would satisfy the Department's responsibilities under Section 7 of the National Wild & Scenic River Act. In addition to other DOT mitigation plans, the three packages are:

Mitigation Alternative 1: Bridge Relocation or Removal/Regional Land Use Planning/No Land Conservation Fund.

Mitigation Alternative 2: Bridge Converted to a APier@/Regional Land Use Planning/$10 million for a Land Conservation Fund.

Mitigation Alternative 3: Bridge/Causeway used as Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge/$15 million for a Land Conservation Fund.

The proposed site for the new bridge is located on a segment of the St. Croix River protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (Public Law 90-452, as amended) as a component of the Wild and Scenic Rivers system. The National Park Service evaluated the proposal as a water resources project under 7(a) of the Act. The Act states that:

Ano department or agency of the United States shall assist by loan, grant, license or otherwise in the construction of any water resources project that would have a direct and adverse effect on the values for which such river was established, as determined by the Secretary charged with its administration."

Water resources projects are any projects that would affect the free-flowing characteristics of a river. Free-flowing is defined in Section 16(b) of the Act as: Athe term free-flowing as applied to any river or section of a river means existing or flowing in natural condition without impoundment, diversion, straightening, rip-rapping, or other modifications of the waterway."

The Lower St. Croix River was added to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1976 for its outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational and geologic values.

The Draft Section 7(a) Evaluation will be included as an appendix to the Minnesota Department of Transportation=s Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed crossing.

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