Location
Pool 18, Upper Mississippi River Miles 431- 428,
Mercer County, Illinois.
Description
The Keithsburg Division Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project, part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program, is located along the left descending bank of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), immediately north of the City of Keithsburg in Mercer County, Illinois. The Project lands, part of the Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge, are federally owned.
The Project area is a 1,400-acre backwater complex of interconnected backwaters channels, secondary channels, wetlands, and floodplain habitat.
The goals are to restore and protect off-channel aquatic, wetland, and floodplain forest habitats. The objectives identified to meet these goals are (1) Restore mudflat and shallow water habitat for shorebird use during the spring and fall migration periods; (2) Restore submergent and emergent vegetation for migratory waterfowl use during the spring and fall migration periods; (3) Increase areal coverage, of forest stands with hard mast-producing trees as dominant or component species in floodplain forest areas; (4) Improve the existing year-round scrub-shrub community, especially buttonbush, for feeding and roosting waterfowl and other wildlife; and (5) Improve year-round bottomland hardwood habitat for Neotropical migrants and other woodland-dwelling species.
Potential Project Features:
- Enhance existing berm enhancements
- Construct spillways, water control structures and pumping stations
- Excavate channels in backwater areas
- Repair existing road
- Plant floodplain forest trees and shrubs
- Use timber stand improvement techniques
The Recommended Plan will restore degraded environmental conditions within the backwater and floodplain forest habitats by providing reliable water level management capabilities and implementing timber stand improvement actions. This project will increase the quality and quantity of preferred habitat in this location.
Background
Human activity over the past two centuries within the UMR basin, floodplain and channel has altered the hydrology, topography, and biotic communities present. Water level management capability is limited, and uncontrolled flood events results in heavy sediment accumulations. Frequent inundation inhibits island forest regeneration and causes increased mortality of mature trees. All of these alterations have reduced the diversity and quality of aquatic habitat, reduced the acreage and diversity of native floodplain forest and reduced the depth and quality of wetlands.
Status
The feasibility report was approved in November 2018. The Stage I construction was awarded in September 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in late 2025. The Stage IIA construction was awarded in September 2021 and is scheduled to be completed by May 2025. Plans and specification will be developed for Stage III.
Additional Information
Authority
Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 under Section 1103 (33 U.S.C 2201 et seq.; P.L. 99-662, 1986)
CG - Construction General
Summarized Project Costs
|
Estimated Federal Cost
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$29,643,000
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|
Estimated Non-Federal Cost
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$0
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Estimated Total Project Cost
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$29,643,000
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|
Allocations Prior to FY 2024
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$11,907,623
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FY 2024 Allocation
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$500,000
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FY 2025 President’s Budget
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$4,800,000
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FY 2025 Total Capability
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$4,800,000
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Major Work Item Current Year
FY 2024: The Project moved forward with Stage I and IIA construction and timber stand improvement techniques.
Major Work Item Next Fiscal Year
FY 2025: If funded, the project will continue to advance Stage I and IIA construction and timber stand improvement techniques. During construction, monitoring will be applied using active adaptive management principals to help design future HREPs. Also, funds are being used to develop plans and specification for Stage III.