Public Comment Form

Commenting open: April 14, 2025 12:00AM CT - April 28, 2025 11:59PM CT.

Wisconsin Central Ltd./Canadian National Railroad (Rainy River Bridge partial replacement) - 401 Water Quality Certification

We invite you to comment on the draft 401 Water Quality Certification for the Canadian National Railroad Rainy River Bridge partial replacement, #2022-01117-DWW, in Koochiching County.

 

The Wisconsin Central Limited Railroad proposes to replace the movable span of the Canadian National Railroad bridge that crosses Rainy River at its confluence with Rainy Lake near Ranier. Replacing the moveable span will prepare for future rail demand and requires new piers and a shift of pier placement. The footprint of the proposed piers will be approximately 300 square feet, less than that of the existing piers.

 

The project will require the permanent dredge and discharge of fill material into 0.02 acres of wetland and will result in no net loss of surface waters of Rainy River and Rainy Lake. No wetland mitigation is required, and no project monitoring is proposed. 


A 401 Water Quality Certification is required when an individual, business, or property owner proposes construction-related activities near a navigable lake, river, stream, or adjacent wetland. The MPCA reviews projects to ensure they will not violate Minnesota's more protective water quality standards. The 401 certification becomes an enforceable component of the associated federal license or permits issued under the Clean Water Act.




Contact Information

*Indicates Required Fields

Submitted by Value

First Name *

Last Name *

Address (Required)

City (Required)

State

ZIP (Required)

Email (Required)

Your Comment


Thank you for providing feedback on this project.


We value your comments and will use them to assess this project further. In your comments, please state your interest in the draft 401 certification; the explicit actions you wish the MPCA to take, including specific references to the section of the draft permit you believe should be changed; and the reasons supporting your position, stated with sufficient specificity as to allow the MPCA to investigate the merits of the position.


If you want to submit a letter, you can upload the letter on this website or submit it via US Mail to the following address:


Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
c/o Bill Wilde
520 Lafayette Road
Saint Paul, MN 55155

*Uploading a file is optional*

You may attach up to five 20 MB files to accompany your submission. Allowed formats are pdf, jpg, jpeg, png, txt, gif, doc, docx, xlsx, xls. If you experience technical difficulties submitting your comment please contact the person listed at the bottom of this page.


Thank you for subscribing to the Wisconsin Central Ltd./Canadian National Railroad (Rainy River Bridge partial replacement) - 401 Water Quality Certification mailing list.