GUTTENBERG, IA — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Paul District, awarded a $7.5 million contract to Legacy Corporation of East Moline, Illinois, for constructing Stage 1 of the Mississippi River Lower Pool 10 habitat rehabilitation and enhancement project, near Guttenberg, Iowa.
The project is in a side channel/island complex on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River navigation channel in Pool 10, immediately upstream from Lock and Dam 10 in Guttenberg. The site lies within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
The project will target South Ferry Slough, aiming to restore and enhance quality habitat for native and desirable floodplain species. Work includes reestablishing eroded islands and reinforcing existing island shorelines with rock protection to improve water quality and reduce wind fetch. Additional stages of construction will take place in the North Ferry Slough and McMillan Island complexes, pending available funding.
Many of the natural islands bordering the navigation channel and extending into the backwaters have eroded and are disappearing. Record flood events and wind and wave action have resulted in the loss of these islands, their associated wetlands, aquatic vegetation, and the shallow protected habitats important for the survival of many species of fish and wildlife.
The project was planned in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Iowa and Wisconsin departments of natural resources, and input from the local community.
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This project is part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program. The program ensures the coordinated development and enhancement of the Upper Mississippi River system with a primary emphasis on habitat restoration projects and resource monitoring.
