Evaluation of Water Level Reduction as a Habitat Management Tool for the Upper Mississippi River

Publisher: USGS | Science Center: Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC, LaCrosse) | Format: URL

www.umesc.usgs.gov — The diversity of habitat types, plants, and animals in the Upper Mississippi River has declined considerably over the last 50 years, creating loss of aquatic vegetation, loss of islands and side channels behind dams, and changes in river sediments, potentially caused by the method of managing water levels, which maintains artificially high water More... The diversity of habitat types, plants, and animals in the Upper Mississippi River has declined considerably over the last 50 years, creating loss of aquatic vegetation, loss of islands and side channels behind dams, and changes in river sediments, potentially caused by the method of managing water levels, which maintains artificially high water levels behind dams during summer low-flow periods. This research project evaluates the effects of the Pool 8 drawdown on water chemistry, sediments, plants, animals, navigation, and recreation and determine how long these effects last. The goal is to restore some of the natural processes affecting water movement and sediments, to increase aquatic plant growth and habitat diversity, and to maintain the conditions needed for commercial navigation and public recreation. Less...