Posted on August 23, 2023
The St. Paul District celebrated the completion of the Pool 2 wing dam modification project with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony on July 25, at Lock and Dam 2 in Hastings, Minnesota.
“Today is a special day for the St. Paul District, but more importantly for our partners and stakeholders in the region who care deeply about this great river. The Mississippi is one of our nation’s greatest treasures; it means a lot of things to a lot of people,” said Col. Eric Swenson, St. Paul District commander. “Today we are celebrating the completion of the first Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program, or NESP, ecosystem project. Sometimes the hardest part of getting a program going is getting the first project complete and today marks that milestone. Though small in scope, this wing dam notching project will enhance fish habitat in the river.”
The $324,000 Pool 2 wing dam modification project is the first ecosystem project in the nation awarded under NESP, and the first NESP project in the nation to be completed. The wing dam notching modified the channel to provide suitable habitat for fish. Potential fish species that will benefit include channel catfish, white or yellow bass, walleye, and paddlefish.
“The strength of NESP is it’s dual-purpose authority to directly benefit our nation’s economy through widespread improvements to this tremendous inland waterway system, while also working to mitigate the environmental impacts our investments have had over the past 100 years and will continue to have as we leverage this important resource,” said Col. Jesse Curry, Rock Island District commander. “What makes this program uniquely important to the future of the American people and exceedingly worth of continued investment, is partnerships.”
NESP is a long-term program of navigation improvements and ecosystem restoration for the Upper Mississippi River System. The primary goals of NESP are to increase the capacity and improve the reliability of the inland navigation system while restoring, protecting, and enhancing the environment through implementation of an integrated, dual-purpose plan to ensure the economic and environmental sustainability of the Upper Mississippi River System.
