City of Rochester working on Zumbro River upkeep

(ABC 6 News) – With one of the wettest winters on record in Minnesota, Rochester Public Works leaders have begun upkeep on flood mitigation throughout the city.

Many driving across the bridge on 16th St. have noticed construction workers on the river below.

Zumbro River has mountains of dirt built up on the banks, city workers are tasked with removing the build-up from the river bank to ensure this bank does not overflow.

“It’s that 10-15 year type of process typically,” explained Matt Crawford, the project development manager with Rochester Public Works. “It depends on how many storms we have, how much sediment gets deposited back on those banks over time. So, as the water comes up, we get more sediment on the sides so it really just depends on weather.”

All of the dirt taken out of the bank will be put in an off-site location to be used for future city projects.