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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/36753| Title: | Upper Mississippi River System Environmental Management Program Definite Project Report (SL-2) with Integrated Environmental Assessment : Dresser Island, Habitat Rehabilitation Project, Pool 26, Upper Mississippi River, St. Charles County, Missouri |
| Authors: | United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. St. Louis District. |
| Keywords: | Restoration ecology Environmental protection Environmental management Wetlands Mississippi River |
| Publisher: | United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. St. Louis District. |
| Abstract: | The Dresser Island wetland complex, located in Mississippi River Pool 26, consists of approximately 940 acres of Federal lands and water. The area is managed for fish and wildlife purposes by the Missouri Department of Conservation under cooperative agreements between the State and the Department of Interior, and between the Department of Interior and the Corps of Engineers. The Comprehensive Master Plan for the Management of the Upper Mississippi River System identified sedimentation as the most significant resource problem affecting the river system. Due to sedimentation effects from the Mississippi River, a once prime interior wetlands habitat on Dresser Island has deteriorated significantly in both quantity and quality. In addition, Brickhouse Slough, once a deep flowing chute between the mainland and Dresser Island, has been filled with sediment to such an extent that flows can pass only at higher pool stages. At the current rate of sediment deposition, it is estimated that all interior wetlands and much of the slough as well will be lost by the end of the next century. This continuing loss of habitat will further impact waterfowl populations already under stress due to a loss of habitat in the Midwest. Fish populations will be impacted by the continuing loss of critical backwater habitat. The wetland complex is also affected by the periodic drops in pool stage that are characteristic of the lower section of navigation pools. These water elevations can often dip far below normal pool stages, and for extended periods of time. This flushing action lowers the utility of Brickhouse slough and the island's interior wetlands for fish spawning and rearing. Additionally, fish are at risk of becoming trapped in the interior wetlands during low water, and may subsequently die from low levels of dissolved oxygen, high summer water temperatures, or winter freeze-outs. Such water level fluctuations can also affect the production of aquatic plants, and its availability to waterfowl. The primary objective of the project is to enhance the habitat value of the Dresser Island wetlands complex for wildlife, and to the extent compatible with this objective, enhance habitat for fish as well. These objectives would be attained by: 1, decreasing the river's sediment input into the complex by at least 90 percent, 2, providing a means to control water levels within the island complex independent of river stage, 3, in combination with traditional management practices, increase the annual habitat units for waterfowl, and 4, provide water conditions of potential benefit to fish production. |
| Description: | Definite Project Report with Integrated Environmental Assessment |
| Rights: | Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited |
| URI: | https://hdl.handle.net/11681/36753 |
| Size: | 174 pages / 10.43 MB |
| Types of Materials: | PDF/A |
| Appears in Collections: | Environmental Documents |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dresser Island DPR.pdf | 10.43 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |