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Title:	Upper Mississisippi River Restoration Feasibility Report with Integrated Environmental Assessment : Steamboat Island Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project : Pool 14, Upper Mississippi River MIles 502.5-508.0, Clinton & Scott Counties Iowa, and Rock Island County, Illinois
Authors:	United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Rock Island District
Keywords:	Restoration ecology Environmental protection Environmental management Wetlands Mississippi River
Publisher:	United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Rock Island District.
Abstract:	The Steamboat Island Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project (HREP) (Project) is located in Clinton & Scott Counties, Iowa, and Rock Island County, Illinois, in the middle section of Pool 14 of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), between the town of Princeton, Iowa, river mile (RM) 502.5, and the Wapsipinicon River (RM 508.0). All Project lands are in Federal ownership and are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as part of the UMR National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (NWFR). The Project area is comprised of approximately 2,620 acres of interconnected backwaters, secondary channels, wetlands, islands, floodplain habitat, and aquatic habitat. Though degraded, this important backwater area supports a diverse population of wildlife including waterfowl, migratory birds, fish, mussels, and mammals. Human activity within the UMR basin, floodplain, and channel has altered the hydrology, topography, and biotic communities present. Years of continual silt deposition has degraded aquatic and wetland habitats and, in some instances, converted them to low elevation terrestrial habitats characterized by reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) monocultures, a relatively low-quality habitat. Impoundment of the pool and permanently higher water elevations during the growing season have affected the health and diversity of floodplain habitat on islands and adjacent floodplain areas. Frequent inundation of floodplain forests are affecting forest composition and regeneration. All of these alterations have reduced the quality and diversity of aquatic and floodplain habitats and impaired ecosystem functions. Erosion and other stressors have reduced the acreage of Steamboat Island and other islands within Pool 14. While these stressors are likely to continue, as is the decline of the quality critical habitats, this Project provides an opportunity to restore the unique mosaic of habitats within the Project area and improve the quality, diversity, and sustainability of aquatic, wetland and floodplain habitats. The goals of the Project are to maintain, enhance, and restore quality habitat for desirable native plant, animal, and fish species and maintain, enhance, restore, and emulate natural river processes, structures, and functions for a resilient and sustainable ecosystem.
Description:	Feasibility Report with Integrated Environmental Assessment
Rights:	Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited
URI:	https://hdl.handle.net/11681/47910
Appears in Collections:	Environmental Documents