Minnehaha Falls' walls are falling

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Crumbling walls near Minnehana Falls in Minneapolis.

The walls along Minnehaha Creek are crumbling; repairs are needed to protect the recreation area below the falls.

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: May 6, 2008 - 12:05 AM

Failure of the historic walls near Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis is looming, federal officials said Monday, and quick action is needed to save them.

That assessment was issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as it announced a public-comment period ahead of scheduled repairs this year.

"The historic walls ... are in danger of failure due to continued erosion under the base of the walls," the Corps said in a news release.

One portion of a wall has toppled into Minnehaha Creek and other areas downstream from the falls have sagged from lack of structural support, the Corps said.

"Failure is imminent," the news release continued, "and action needs to be taken in the near future to save this piece of Minnesota's history."

The area targeted for repair includes 1,390 feet of walls on both sides of the creek, as well as some eroded banks downstream. The walls were built in the late 1930s as a depression-era public works project.

The proposed $7.5 million restoration is set to begin this year. A key part of the project is to secure state and federal money to renew the historic stone walls that define the creek channel and anchor popular trails near the 53-foot-high cascade, the centerpiece of the 193-acre park off Hiawatha Avenue in south Minneapolis.

The bonding bill recently signed into law provides for more than a third of the project's funding.

"This was a compelling project for inclusion in the bonding bill because of the real threat to the historic walls and natural habitat there if we fail to act," said state Rep. Jim Davnie, DFL-Minneapolis, who added that it also "is a project that can be started quickly, putting people to work."

An environmental assessment evaluation has been prepared by the Corps' St. Paul District and is available for a 30-day public review and comment lasting until June 2.

"Something needs to be done ... sooner rather than later," the Corps' Jon Sobiech, who helped write the environmental assessment, said.

Sobiech said that as stone from the walls tumbles into the creek, the water level rises, prompting erosion to the banks and threatening the paths for visitors.

A copy of the assessment can be obtained by contacting the St. Paul District or via www.startribune.com/a4351.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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