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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District continues work on the Steamboat Island Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project (HREP) – part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program.
Located in pool 14 of the Upper Mississippi River near Princeton, Iowa, this UMRR HREP project aims to maintain, enhance and restore quality habitat for all native and desirable plant, animal, and fish species and emulate natural river processes, structures and functions for a sustainable ecosystem.
Goals of this project include island restoration and protection and timber stand improvement as well as increasing the topographic diversity of the area and increasing the aquatic diversity and overwintering habitat.
The $33.6 million project, which is being completed in two stages, includes approximately 2,620-acres of interconnected backwaters, secondary channels, wetlands, islands, floodplain habitat and aquatic habitat.
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.