Posted on October 19, 2023
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 4 marking the start of construction for the Steamboat Island Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project near Princeton, Iowa.
The 55th Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, joined in the celebration along with Deputy Commander of the USACE Rock Island District, Maj. Matthew Fletcher, and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Manager, Sabrina Chandler, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The $33.6 million project, which is being completed in two stages, is in Pool 14 of the Upper Mississippi River and funded through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program. It includes approximately 2,620-acres of interconnected backwaters, secondary channels, wetlands, islands, floodplain habitat and aquatic habitat and is part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
A contract for stage one of the project was awarded earlier this year to Architectural Consulting Group of Chicago, Inc. for $8.8 million and rock placement on the upstream side of Steamboat Island is already underway. Additional rehabilitation and enhancement efforts over the next several years will include increasing year-round aquatic habitat diversity, diversifying floodplain forest habitat, restoring island acreage, and protecting and enhancing backwater habitat.
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