EDITORIAL: An opportunity to help the river

In just seven days, the gates of the concrete dam that holds back the Crow River in Hutchinson will be opened for the last time. Two weeks later, the dam will be dismantled so it can be replaced with a rock rapids that will allow fish to swim upstream.
The scene won’t be pretty. The beautiful waters of the Crow will slow to a mid-riverbed trickle.
But it will offer a tremendous opportunity for all those who own property along the Crow River in Hutchinson and Otter and Campbell lakes. During the next several weeks, they can rebuild or restore their shorelines. After that, the two main gates that have allowed the river to be drained down twice before will be gone.
Shoreline restoration will help prevent further erosion along the river. In recent years, the river has become a large depository for silt, causing significant environmental and navigation problems. Those who restore their shoreline will help prevent further erosion. They will help the environment as well as those who use the river for recreation.
Those who don’t restore a poorly managed shoreline will only cause more harm than good.
What is a poorly managed shoreline? It’s one that is mostly dirt, or tiers of dirt, right up to the water. Or it is the perfectly manicured lawn abutting the river or lake, which allows unwanted volumes of lawn fertilizer and other pollutants to flow directly into the water.
We encourage and challenge all those with poorly managed shorelines to use the next several weeks to improve their shoreline. They can do the work themselves, or they can hire someone do do it for them. We hope that anyone who lives along the river believes as strongly as we do, that shoreline ownership comes with the responsibility of stewardship.
It’s not just private citizens who own the property and need restorative shoreline work. The city of Hutchinson is, by far, the owner of the most river shoreline. Gopher Campfire also owns shoreline that needs work.
An excellent example of the good that can come from a restoration project was told on page 8A of last Thursday’s Leader. Terry and Gerry Grinde, who live on Lewis Avenue, turned a few dozen feet of Crow River shoreline into a natural habitat that will be a work in progress for quite a while. They say the habitat has increased wildlife and birds, while deterring geese from entering their yard from the river.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants to help other property owners to follow the Grindes’ lead. The DNR’s Robert Collett is available to answer questions and offer advice. He can be reached at (320) 234-2560. Mr. Collett also will speak about shoreline restoration when the city explains details of the rock rapids project at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, at the Hutchinson Event Center. The event, organized by the South Fork Crow River Association, is free.

Editorials are written by Publisher Matt McMillan and Editor Doug Hanneman. They can be reached at mcmillan@hutchinsonleader.com, or hanneman@hutchinsonleader.com.