Beneficial Use of Dredged Material: Section 1122, Upper Pool 4 – Lake Pepin, Bay City, Wisconsin

This project proposes to utilize dredged material generated from navigation channel dredging to protect and restore backwater habitat; this is a win-win-win project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, our partner agencies and the environment. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is the non-federal sponsor.

Big Sandy Lake Dam Rehabilitation Project

Sandy Lake Dam has undergone a series of modifications, repairs and periodic inspections over its 125-year history. From 2011 to 2016, a series of above and below water inspections identified several features that had deteriorated to a point that repair or replacement were necessary to maintain the long-term stability of the structure.

Dam Bridge & Gate Painting – Lower St. Anthony Falls Through Lock and Dam 10

The project is the routine maintenance, including painting and repair of the dam gates. Phase 1 consisted of report development, including alternatives and life cycle costs. Phase 2 of the project analyzed the alternatives, and decided upon an Indefinite Delivery – Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) acquisition strategy with maintenance performed on site.

Disposition Study, Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, and Lock and Dam 1, Upper Mississippi

Determine whether or not continued operation and ownership of Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam and Lock and Dam 1 are in the federal interest, and if not, provides supporting information for deauthorization of the project purposes and disposal of the property.

Disposition Study, Upper St. Anthony Falls and Lock and Dam, Upper Mississippi River

Determine whether or not continued operation and ownership of Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam (USAF) is in the federal interest, and if not, provide supporting information for deauthorization of the project purposes and disposal of the property. USAF is located on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Fountain City Service Base Sustainment & Modernization

The Fountain City Service Base (FCSB) Sustainment and Modernization Project is a two-phase project to improve the function and safety throughout the service base. The two objectives of the project are to replace the deteriorated mooring dolphins on the west side of the Fountain City harbor channel and modernize the service base. The project is located at the Fountain City Services Base in Pool 5 of the Upper Mississippi River, in Fountain City, Wisconsin.

Hydropower, FERC Licensing

Granting licensing of a privately-owned hydropower project on federal property. The project is proposed to be located at Upper St. Anthony Falls lock and dam, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Invasive Carp, Upper Mississippi River

Bighead and silver carp were introduced to the Mississippi River in the 1970s after wastewater treatment ponds were overcome from flooding on the lower Mississippi River. Left uncontrolled, the invasive carp’s feeding habits starve other species and cause turbidity in the waters where they feed, detrimentally altering the habitat that supports native species. Left unchecked, it is concern that the invasive species will continue to expand further upstream into the upper Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

Lower Pool 4 Dredged Material Management Plan – Wabasha County, Minnesota; Buffalo and Pepin Counties, Wisconsin

The Lower Pool 4 DMMP study area is located between Lock and Dam 4 and the foot of Lake Pepin, river miles 753.0 to 764.0. The study area includes the Minnesota communities in Wabasha County of Lake City, Wabasha, Reads Landing and Kellogg and the Wisconsin communities in Buffalo and Pepin Counties of Nelson, Alma and Buffalo City.

Mississippi River Headwaters Reservoirs

The Mississippi River Headwaters Project consists of six headwaters dams in north-central Minnesota. Cross Lake, Gull Lake, Big Sandy Lake, Lake Winnibigoshish, Pokegama Lake and Leech Lake make up the system. They were constructed or reconstructed between 1900 and 1913 (work on Pokegama started in 1884 and Winnibigoshish in 1885) to aid navigation on the Mississippi River between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Because the navigation mission of the headwater’s dams declined with the creation of the upper Mississippi River 9-foot navigation channel and as recreation grew in importance to the region’s economy, the mission shifted to flood risk management, recreation and environmental stewardship.

Mississippi River Lock and Dam 1, Ambursen Dam Downstream Repair

The purpose of this project is to re-establish armor downstream of the concrete apron and prevent further scour. Lock and Dam 1 is located on the Minneapolis, Minnesota side of the Mississippi River.

Mississippi River Lock and Dam 6, Guidewall End Cell

The purpose of this project is to extend the longevity of the guidewalls at each of our locks and dams and to reduce operability issues and required maintenance. An end cell would provide adequate protection of the end monolith along the guidewalls, while the past crib grouting component will add stability. Lock and Dams 2 through 10, which are located from Hastings, Minnesota, to Guttenberg, Iowa.

Mississippi River Locks and Dams 2–10 Embankment Rehabilitation Adjacent to Structures

Embankment rehabilitation will address restoring embankments to meet current design standards. Overtopping protection adjacent to concrete structures is the first priority for design and construction. No increase in the height of the embankments is planned. Upper Mississippi Locks and Dams 2 through 10.

Mississippi River Locks and Dams 2–10 Miter Gates Replacement

Locks and Dams (LD) 2 through 10 have used the same miter gates since their construction in the 1930s. Over time, the gates have been damaged and distressed, which has led to serviceability and safety issues. This project will replace the gates and the anchorages system, increasing navigational longevity and operational readiness while decreasing repair costs and downtime due to maintenance or failure. Upper Mississippi Locks and Dams 2 through 10.

Mississippi River Locks and Dams 2–10 Non-Structural Embankment Repair

The non-structural embankment repair projects at Locks and Dams (LD) 2 through 10 will address restoring embankments to meet current design standards. Most dam embankments are currently protected from the erosive forces of water by a layer of riprap placed along the embankment’s length. When the riprap eventually erodes, the embankment itself will erode if more protection is not added. Upper Mississippi Locks and Dams 2 through 10.

Mississippi River Locks and Dams 2–10 Tow Rail System

The tow rail system is integral to the operation of each of the Mississippi River Locks and Dams 2 through 10. It is attached to the top of the lock guidewall and helps guide tows through the lock chamber. Each system is comprised of an operating unit, rail and traveling kevel or “mule.” The Locks and Dams 2 through 10 tow rail systems have been deteriorating over the past several years, requiring rehabilitation of these systems.

Mississippi River Locks and Dams 3–10 Sheet Pile Installation at Auxiliary Locks

Locks and Dams 3 through 10 have auxiliary chambers. Each auxiliary chamber has only a single set of miter gates that could pass shallow draft navigation traffic if the lock chamber was out of operation and the upstream and downstream pools were equalized. At each site, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers only installed one set of miter gates. An auxiliary lock chamber was never authorized by Congress, which would have included a second set of miter gates. Since installation, the auxiliary emergency gates have never been used, and the gate operating machinery was never installed.

Mississippi River Recreation and Environmental Stewardship

Although navigation was the initial purpose of Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Navigation Project, Congress has since authorized the development of recreational facilities, protection of forest resources, and required the consideration of fish and wildlife conservation.

Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP)

The Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP), seeks to provide a safe, reliable, cost effective and environment sustainable waterborne navigation system by implementing switchboats at five locks, constructing mooring cells and seven new 1,200 foot locks. NESP will restore the aquatic and terrestrial habitat to a more natural condition on more than 100,000 acres throughout the system through a wide variety of ecosystem projects.

Pigs Eye Islands CAP 204 Beneficial Use of Dredge Material, St. Paul, Minnesota

Pigs Eye Lake is located in Ramsey County, just east of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, in upper Pool 2 of the Mississippi River. Due to the lake’s close proximity to the Mississippi River, the lake water level is controlled by the level of the river. The lake is located in the Mississippi River Bottomlands Subwatershed.

Planning Assistance to States: Mississippi River Water Level Management

The purpose of this comprehensive plan is to: (1) develop regionally-supported action plans for managing pool water levels; (2) improve knowledge of biological responses to water level manipulation, improving public knowledge and engagement; and (3) increase the feasibility and affordability of water level management.

Pool 10 Dredged Material Management Plan – Allamakee & Clayton County, Iowa, and Crawford & Grant County, Wisconsin

The Pool 10 Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) study area is located between Lock and Dam 9 near Lynxville, Wisconsin, and Lock and Dam 10 at Guttenberg, Iowa, spanning nearly 33 river miles from 615.1 to 648.0. The study area includes several communities near the main navigation channel including Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and Guttenberg, Iowa.

Pool 2 Dredged Material Management Plan – Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota and Washington Counties, Minnesota

The purpose of the Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) is to prepare a coordinated long-term plan for managing dredged material in Pool 2. This plan was initiated due to increases in dredging volumes throughout Pool 2. Furthermore, three temporary dredged material placement sites need to be excavated in Lower Pool 2.

Pool 2 Wing Dam Modification Project, Upper Mississippi River Pool 2, Minnesota

This project will notch a series of wing dams throughout Pool 2 in order to improve main channel border habitat for fishes. Wing dam notching will enable downstream scouring, which creates overwintering habitat. The project area is in the middle and lower half of Pool 2, Upper Mississippi River, downstream of St. Paul, Minnesota; spanning Dakota, Ramsey and Washington counties, Minnesota.

Pool 6 Dredged Material Management Plan – Winona County, Minnesota; Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties, Wisconsin

The purpose of the Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) is to prepare a coordinated long-term plan for managing dredged material from Pool 6. The Pool 6 DMMP study area is located between Lock and Dam 5A at river mile 728.5 and Lock and Dam 6 at river mile 714.1. The study area borders the city of Winona, Minnesota, at the upstream end and extends downstream of the village of Trempealeau, Wisconsin.

Pool 9 Dredged Material Management Plan – Houston County, Minnesota, Allamakee County, Iowa, and Vernon County, Wisconsin

The purpose of the DMMP is to prepare a coordinated long-term plan for managing dredged material in Pool 9. This plan was initiated due to needs for dredged material management upland placement sites, especially in the upstream reach of the pool. The Pool 9 Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) study area is located between Lock and Dam 8 at Genoa, Wisconsin, and Lock and Dam 9 near Lynxville, Wisconsin, spanning more than 31 river miles from 679.2 to 648.0. The study area includes several communities near the main navigation channel including Lansing, Iowa, and De Soto, Wisconsin.

Small-Boat Harbor Dredging, St. Paul, Minnesota

The St. Paul Small-Boat Harbor is on the lower end of Harriet Island in St. Paul, Minnesota, at Upper Mississippi River mile 839.6 on the right descending bank. The length of the harbor is 2,375 feet; the width varies from 200 to 400 feet. The Corps of Engineers is authorized to maintain the harbor to a depth of 5.0 feet below low control pool elevation of 687.2 feet mean sea level (msl). The city of St. Paul is the non-federal sponsor for the project and is required to furnish a suitable placement site for the dredged material.

Tribal Partnership Program

The Tribal Partnership Program (TPP) provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to utilize TPP to perform water-related planning activities and activities related to the study, design and construction of water resources development projects located primarily on tribal lands that substantially benefit federally-recognized tribes. To start the process, a tribe submits a study request to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps evaluates the request, and if viable, the Corps works with the tribe to determine a scope of work and enters into a feasibility cost sharing agreement (FCSA). Following the execution of the FCSA, the Corps seeks federal funding for the study.

Tribal Partnership Program: Sturgeon Lake

The purpose of the project is to address sedimentation, erosion and degradation of culturally significant habitat on Prairie Island Indian Community’s tribal land in Sturgeon Lake. Priority objectives identified in the feasibility study, which will be carried forward in the design and implementation phase are to: (1) reduce shoreline erosion on the Buffalo Slough Island; and (2) improve/restore floodplain forest habitat on Buffalo Slough Island.

Upper Mississippi River - Illinois Waterway System Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP)

Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) is a long-term program of ecosystem restoration and navigation improvements for the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). NESP will improve system capacity and reduce commercial traffic delays through construction of seven new 1,200-foot locks, mooring cells, and switchboat implementation.

Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Navigation Project Locks and Dams, Minnesota/Wisconsin/Iowa

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District is responsible for maintaining 244 miles of the Upper Mississippi River 9-foot channel navigation system from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Guttenberg, Iowa. The Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Navigation Project is located in or contiguous to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. The navigation project within the St. Paul District includes 13 locks and dams that are operated and maintained by the Corps. In addition to the locks and dams, the project includes channel maintenance, recreation and natural resource activities.

Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Navigation Project Maintenance Minnesota/Wisconsin/Iowa

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining a 9-foot navigation channel as an important component to the inland navigation system. The St. Paul District (MVP) is responsible for maintaining 244 miles of the Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Channel Navigation Project from the head of navigation at Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Guttenberg, Iowa. The navigation project also includes the lower navigable portions of the Minnesota, St. Croix, and Black Rivers.

Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program: Conway Lake, Lansing, Iowa

Dissolved oxygen is essential for a healthy fisheries habitat. Dissolved oxygen depletion is a problem in the study area in summer and in winter due to a variety of reasons. Conway Lake is relatively shallow with abundant aquatic vegetation. During the winter, excessive water enters Phillipi Lake through openings that are eroding, creating unsuitable habitat conditions for overwintering backwater fish. Shore Slough has less than optimal fish habitat conditions as a result of sedimentation and the high flows from Phillipi Lake.

Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program: Harpers Slough, Pool 9, Iowa Habitat Restoration

Harpers Slough area is a 3,510-acre backwater located primarily on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River in Pool 9, about 3 miles upstream of Lock and Dam 9. The site is in the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. The purpose is to assess the extent of damage of islands and habitat and determine repairs necessary for the Harpers Slough Project in Pool 9. Construction was completed in 2017; however, two consecutive years of high water (including record levels in 2019) prevented plantings from becoming established and caused significant breaches in three islands. Island loss led to material deposition in the backwaters, resulting in less productive habitat for fish and wildlife and the project not achieving the benefits originally anticipated.

Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program: Lower Pool 10 Islands, Guttenberg, Iowa Habitat Restoration

The Lower Pool 10 Islands are part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program. The site is a 1,000-acre side channel and island complex located on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River navigation channel in Pool 10, about one mile upstream from Lock and Dam 10 in Guttenberg, Iowa. The site lies within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program: McGregor Lake, Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin Habitat Restoration

McGregor Lake is a 200-acre backwater lake in Pool 10 of the Mississippi River. The McGregor Lake project is located on the Wisconsin side of the Upper Mississippi River in the middle of Pool 10, near Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. The site lies within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program: Minnesota/Wisconsin/Iowa Habitat Restoration

This program, authorized by Congress in 1986, emphasizes habitat rehabilitation and enhancement projects (HREPs) and long-term resource monitoring. The HREP component includes dredging backwater areas and channels, constructing dikes, creating and stabilizing islands, controlling side channel flows and water levels, and creating floodplain forest habitat.

Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program: Reno Bottoms, Pool 9, Upper Mississippi River

The primary objective of this project is to protect, restore, or create resilient and diverse bottomland forests. The quality and extent of the unique forest and aquatic habitat in the Reno Bottoms project area has been declining over the past several decades. Human caused changes in hydrology, land use, and climate have increased water levels within the project area. Without action, the project area will continue to degrade. The quality of forest and aquatic habitat will decrease. Invasive grasses would expand into forests, limiting opportunities for smaller trees to grow and reducing habitat value. Additional loss of wetland habitat would adversely affect migrating waterbirds and songbirds who require the floodplain forest to stop and rest.