Banner Marsh Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project

Rock Island District

Illinois River, Miles 138 - 144, Fulton and Peoria Counties, Illinois, Congressional District: IL - 17
 

Partners

• Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Description

Historically, the Illinois River Flyway has been one of the most important waterfowl migration routes throughout the United States. The bottomland lakes and marshes provided aquatic food plants and small animals like the fingernail clam that naturally attracted the migrating waterfowl. Banner Marsh has undergone a series of drastic physical changes, from bottomland lake and marsh to leveed agricultural lands and active mining operations, to a reclaimed strip mine. Valuable habitat important to the declining migratory waterfowl population has been lost.

Quick Facts

• Approximate Acres: 4290
• State(s) Covered: Illinois
• Land Ownership: State of Illinois
• Management Agency:Illinois Department of Natural Resources
• Management Authority: Cooperative 

Features

• Clear and stabilize existing perimeter levee.
• Fresh water will be introduced into Gremore Lake to provide adequate dissolved oxygen levels by both dredging and use of a culvert.
• Rehabilitate pump station. 
• Reconstruct approximately 144 acres of warm season grassland habitat.
• Grade approximately 106 acres in the littoral zone of low lying lands to 18 inches below the proposed final water elevation.

Milestones

• The Definite Project Report completed in December 2000.
• The Stage I Contract was awarded in January 1998 and was substantially completed in April 1999. 
• The Stage II Contract was awarded in September 1999 and was substantially completed in July 2001.
• The Stage III Contract was awarded in March 2003 and was substantially completed in May 2003.
• The Operation and Maintenance Manual was completed in 2005.
• The initial Project Performance Evaluation Report (PER) was completed in 2002.  Supplemental PERs were completed in 2004 and 2014.
• Inspection of Completed Works was completed in 2017.
• Performance monitoring continues.