Three more projects wrap up along Illinois Waterway

Three more projects as part of the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) have been completed along the Illinois Waterway.

According to USACE, the Alton Pool Islands, Twin Islands and Moore’s Towhead Restoration Projects will:

• reduce erosion and sedimentation,

• create and improve native fish habitats,

• enhance the variety of geomorphic diversity that characterizes these Illinois River Islands.

The Illinois River system supports more than 300 bird species, 57 mammal species, 45 amphibian and reptile species, 150 fish species, 50 mussel species and more than 40 percent of North America’s migratory waterfowl and shorebirds.

These species depend on the food resources and other life requisites (e.g., shelter, nesting habitats, etc.) that the system provides.