Sioux Falls, SD – At a ceremony in Washington, D.C. today, the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System was presented with the prestigious Partners in Conservation Award from U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar.  This national environmental award recognizes Lewis & Clark for the work it did last year to stabilize one mile of Missouri River shoreline south of Vermillion to protect the project’s primary well field from erosion.  The bank stabilization project was a cooperative effort involving the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks. 
      This section of the Missouri River is designated as a National Recreational River.  Instead of placing traditional rock revetment to stabilize the river bank, Lewis & Clark incorporated a unique and environmentally friendly approach called “modified stone-toe revetment.”  The process involved sloping the river bank, covering the 51,000 tons of rock revetment with soil and then planting vegetation on top, thereby providing a natural looking river bank that allows wildlife access to the river.  A total of 118,000 willows, cottonwoods and dogwoods were planted, as well as native grasses.
      The Bureau of Reclamation nominated the project for this award, which was accepted on behalf of Lewis & Clark by Board Chairman Red Arndt of Luverne, MN.  He was joined at the ceremony by several engineers, contractors and agency officials who worked on the bank stabilization project. 
                                                           
2009 Cooperative Conservation Award DKAO

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