Guttenberg Waterfowl Ponds Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement

St. Paul District

Pool 11, Upper Mississippi River, Miles 614 - 615, Clayton County, Iowa, Congressional District: IA - 1

Partners

• USFWS
• IADNR

Description

Part of the Corps' Environmental Management Program (EMP), the site is located below the Lock and Dam 10 dike at Guttenberg, Iowa.  The site lies within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. A group of fish-rearing ponds lying below the dam was abandoned in 1971.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources proposed to manage the water levels in these ponds as moist soil impoundments for food production for migratory waterfowl.  However, the ponds lacked adequate water supply and drainage facilities for water level control.

Quick Facts

• Approximate Acres: 198
• State(s) Covered: IA
• Land Ownership: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Management Agency: USFWS
• Management Authority: Refuge 

Features

• The project provided for the control of water levels in the three existing ponds, totaling about 35 acres.
• Water is supplied to the ponds via a gated conduit from the existing Dam 10 spillway.
• Ditching within the ponds provides drainage to an outlet structure for discharge into the spillway channel.
• An additional water control structure in one of the ponds can provide water to Big Pond Slough for limited water level control in Big Pond. 

Milestones

• The Definite Project Report was completed in July 1988.
• Construction was initiated in October 1989 and completed in October 1990.
• The Operation and Maintenance Manual was completed in September 1997.
• The Initial Project Evaluation Report was completed in August 2009.