Carterville NFWCO completed a draft of the pre-project fisheries monitoring report for the Harlow Island Side Channel Restoration Project. The Harlow Island Division of the Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge is home to a remnant side channel of the Mississippi River. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) St. Louis District is planning a project that will restore some of the original functions of this side channel.  Currently it serves as a backwater area that is inundated by the river only under near-flood conditions. 

The remnant side channel is shallow with several feet of unconsolidated soft sediment, making it relatively low-quality habitat.  Since July 2005 CNFWCO has conducted surveys of the fish community in this backwater to obtain baseline data for evaluating potential benefits of restoration for the fish community. 

Carterville NFWCO completed a report covering the pre-project monitoring and submitted it to the USACE for review.  The report is currently in revision, and CNFWCO will continue participating in restoration planning with the USACE.