The past few years have seen significant increases in the cost of many things such as labor, supplies, and supplies. Construction projects are not exempt from these increasing costs. So if federally funded construction projects can save taxpayers money, that’s worth celebrating. The government is the custodian of taxpayer dollars and therefore has a responsibility to spend those dollars in the most cost-effective manner. Sometimes this requires thinking outside the box.

Through collaboration and creative thinking, the Kansas City District, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, was able to save nearly $1 million on an aquatic ecosystem restoration project at Harlan County Lake in south-central Nebraska. The construction effort, totaling more than $11 million and funded largely by the federal government under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, will restore vital parts of the lake’s aquatic ecosystem. Despite rising prices, the team managed to save money and at the same time increase the efficiency and sustainability of the project.

One of the main problems the Harlan County Lake aquatic ecosystem restoration project aims to correct is twofold. First, after years of erosion and sedimentation in the lake, many bays that are popular spots for recreationists have gradually been closed off from the main lake. Second, important fish habitats are lost when bays are closed. Probably the most important habitat lost is black crappie habitat.

“Crappie are really important to our anglers,” said Jeff Jackson, aquatic habitat program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “They are especially sensitive to being caught from the shore during the spawning period. They are one of the most caught species by fishermen.”

The Kansas City District operates and maintains the Harlan County Lake, while the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission manages aquatic fish populations and provides valuable fishing expertise to the project. According to Jackson, increased sediment found in the bays of Harlan County Lake makes it harder for black crappie to reproduce.

“Most of these aging reservoirs, over time, their bays are closing and separating from the main reservoir,” Jackson said. “What we found is that bays are really important for the recruitment and breeding of crappies. Restoring some of these bays is a really important part of preserving crappie populations.”

Methodist Cove, one of Harlan County Lake’s most popular recreation spots, has been closed from the main reservoir due to increased sedimentation. The project team is working hard to excavate the bay to a depth of approximately 12 metres, as well as digging a 200-metre channel reconnecting the bay to the main reservoir. This will not only provide a better recreational experience for those who enjoy fishing and boating in Methodist Bay, but will also allow black crappies to once again use the bay for spawning.

“There was a lot of excavation—more than 100,000 cubic yards of material—to reconnect Methodist Bay to the lake,” said Leigh Mitchell, project manager for the Harlan County Lake aquatic ecosystem restoration project in the Kansas City Area. “They dug into the bay to create areas that could be used as black crappie habitat.”

But creating an environment suitable for black crappie spawning requires more than digging silt from the bay. It also requires replacing lost habitat. Both the Kansas City District and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission saw this as an opportunity to get creative.

According to Mitchell, the original design of the project used only artificial habitat. The type of artificial habitat the team decided to use is often referred to as “spiders” because of the long legs that protrude from the body. But spiders are not cheap. The team decided to turn the project into an experiment of sorts, using both artificial habitat and felled cedar trees to see which habitat the black crappie preferred and which was the more sustainable option in the long run.

The cedar trees, an invasive species, had already been removed as part of the larger ecosystem restoration project. The team managed to save nearly 1 million dollars in the project by using the waste product as habitat instead of purchasing artificial habitat. Two-thirds of the more expensive artificial fish habitat was replaced with cedar trees, reducing the overall cost of the project.

“There were a lot of cedar trees that needed to be cut down as part of this project. “If we didn’t use them as habitat, they would be burned or taken off-site for disposal,” Mitchell said. “So the project team thought: ‘Instead of doing that, these things provide a really good living space. “We said, ‘Let’s use this in the lake,’ and we were able to replace a lot of the artificial fish habitat with what would essentially have been a waste product.”

Sinking cedar trees to create new fish habitat is not unique to this project. Many USACE lake projects use the removal of these invasive trees as materials to create natural fish habitat. What makes the Harlan County Lake aquatic ecosystem restoration project unique is the ability to examine both artificial habitat and cedar trees to see which is most effective at supporting the black crappie population.

“We want to know if these habitats are successful; artificial habitat and cedar trees. We want to know which of these is the preferred habitat. It’s a multifaceted approach,” Jackson said.

For Jackson and his team, this project goes beyond reconnecting Methodist Bay to the main reservoir. According to Jackson, this will likely impact species beyond black crappie, leading to a better recreational opportunity for those who enjoy fishing on Harlan County Lake.

“There are other species that will benefit from this habitat,” Jackson said. “A good population of bobcats, white perch fisheries and all other species (bluegill and crappie) will benefit from the habitat in the reservoir.”

The aquatic ecosystem restoration project at Harlan County Lake is expected to be completed in April 2025.