Big Timber Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project

Rock Island District

Pool 17, Upper Mississippi River, Miles 443 - 445, Louisa County, Iowa, Congressional District: Iowa - 2

Project Partners

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
• Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IADNR)

Project Description

This backwater area was experiencing advanced sedimentation and a resultant decline in fisheries and waterfowl habitat value. Receding flood events tended to either strand or concentrate fish in the unconnected, permanent waters. Severe summer and winter fish kills attributable to low dissolved oxygen levels and freeze-outs, respectively, had been reported. Deep water fish habitat and areas of emergent aquatic vegetation were disappearing. Wetlands were being converted to terrestrial habitat.

Quick Facts

• Approximate Acres: 1,039
• State(s) Covered: Iowa
• Land Ownership: U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Management Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Management Authority: Refuge

Milestones

• The Definite Project Report was issued in July 1989.
• Project construction was initiated in 1989 and completed in 1994.
• The project has been turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for operation and maintenance.
• An operation and maintenance manual was issued in June 1994.
• An initial performance evaluation report (PER) was completed in October 1995. Supplemental PERs were completed in February 1996, August 1998, June 2001, and April 2002.
• Performance monitoring continues.